Danny is our narrator, and this is a story of his family, especially his relationship with his older sister, Maeve. When Danny was very young, his mother abandoned the family. His father made a killing in real estate and bought this huge, ostentatious house outside of Philadelphia called The Dutch House as a surprise for his wife. She absolutely hated the house. Is that why she left?
The people who knew her, those that cooked and cleaned for her, said she was a loving, caring mother. So why did she leave? The story is really an examination of the lives of these siblings and how their mother leaving and other events affected them. And what a strong pull the past still has on these two.
Their father remarries and odd woman, who may have married him just for the house. She brings along two small daughters. I don't want to say too much more, but eventually, Danny and Maeve are kicked out of the house and are penniless.
The blurb for The Dutch House states it is "filled with suspense." I beg to differ. This is a meandering tale, rich with characterizations that become a part of the reader. You do want to find out how these characters fare after this nontraditional upbringing. The reader feels what they feel. That's what it is all about. Patchett is just a good writer that pulls you into their lives. And sometimes makes you want to strangle them!
I didn't enjoy The Dutch House as much as State of Wonder (my favorite adult book of 2014), but I enjoyed it more than Commonwealth (which I didn't finish). If you enjoy Patchett, you should read The Dutch House.
Published by Harper, September 24, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
352 pages
Rating: 4/5
Somehow I hadn't noticed that Ann Patchett wrote this book. I must have been distracted when I first saw the cover. I haven't read a lot of her books, but this sounds pretty good.
ReplyDelete