Life Drawing by Robin Black – 238 pages
Book Blurb:
Augusta and Owen have moved to the country, and live a quiet, and rather solitary life, Gus as a painter, Owen as a writer. They have left behind the city, and its associations to a troubled past, devoting their days to each other and their art. But beneath the surface of this tranquil existence lies the heavy truth of Gus’s past betrayal, an affair that ended, but that quietly haunts Owen, Gus and their marriage. When Alison Hemmings, a beautiful British divorcée, moves in next door, Gus, feeling lonely and isolated, finds herself drawn to Alison, and as their relationship deepens, the lives of the three neighbors become more and more tightly intertwined. With the arrival of Alison’s daughter Nora, the emotions among them grow so intense that even the slightest misstep has the potential to do irrevocable harm to them all.
My Review: 4 stars
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Life Drawing is a book that mirrors its title. Inside this tautly written novel is a small cast of characters that have, for many reasons, filled specific purposes for each of the other characters. Over the past year, the genre of domestic fiction has become in vogue, which up until now, I thought was a fancy euphemism for chick lit. After reading this book, I’m quite convinced, this is the epitome of domestic fiction. It’s not chick lit at all, but instead, a literary slice of life from inside marriages.
The writing in this book is fluid and rich in meaning. She’s an author who doesn’t waste words, yet never feeling curt. The main protagonist, Gus, is the self-admitted adulteress and having the book told from her POV was an interesting choice for the author to take on. From the beginning, we feel her still wavering between justification and redemption. She is a very stripped down character and has survived far too many losses. I found her ability to paint places and not people quite metaphorical and realistic to her situation. I look forward to reading more from this quite literary author.
Quotes I liked:
Nobody outside a marriage can understand it, everyone agrees. As if people inside a marriage can.”
-“By forty, is there anyone who hasn’t had to recognize that happiness, as understood by youth, is illusory?”
-“There are often two conversations going on in a marriage. The one that you’re having and the one you’re not.”
-“Here is was again. The fact that to be truthful can so often be both right and wrong.”
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