Review: The End of the Point by Elizabeth Graver

The End of the Point by Elizabeth Graver is a sweeping, multi-generational tale that chronicles the Porter family (and their staff) during their summers at Ashaunt Point on Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. The point is a magical and mythical place for this family of privilege whose wealth does not insulate them from the big troubles faced by many families - death, mental illness and infirmity or the more pedestrian troubles of sibling rivalry, parental indifference and lack of direction. The constant throughout the generations is Ashaunt Point - it has a pull, both positive and negative, on the Porter family.

The book opens with the story being told by Bea, nanny to the young Porter children, who left Scotland to come to the US shortly after her mother's death.  It is 1942 and Bea is with the Porter family for the summer at Ashaunt Point. They share their summer oasis that year with the army stationed there for the war. There is a spareness to Bea - she lives carefully and seems afraid of happiness. Whether this comes from the devastation of losing of her mother and then leaving a country she felt no longer held anything for her or from a lifetime of limited expectations is hard to tell.  She is extraordinarily devoted to the Porter's youngest child, Janie, to the point that she is willing to sacrifice her own fulfillment to continue to care for Jane. This quote sums up the way in which Bea lives without allowing herself to yearn for much:

She had long ago given up the idea of having her own child - not given up, even, just never let the desire take shape, until in its shapelessness, it evaporated, it slipped away

Following Bea, the oldest Porter daughter Helen takes over the narrative with a series of letters and diary entries from Europe and then Ashaunt where she has returned for summers as an adult with her own family. She brings the story through to the 1960's and we see the progress in the lives of the Porters. All three daughters are married with children and each returns to Ashaunt with their families to the point that the Porter's home begins to resemble a hotel. Helen (aka Hellion) is restless and has always tested those around her. She has an insatiable thirst for knowledge but this also contributes to her constant searching and seeming inability to settle. Even at Ashaunt with her own family, Helen finds solace in her childhood summer destination but is still plagued by a sense of dissatisfaction.

Finally, Helen's adult son, Charlie,  takes over the narrative and we see Ashaunt Point again during war - this time the Vietnam War. Ashaunt Point still has a tremendous hold on this family - even Charlie believes it may be the only place in which he has been truly happy. Charlie is troubled  - almost as if the minor transgressions of the Porter's in earlier generations have all accumulated in this one son. He struggles with high expectations but an inability to deliver against them. As the book concludes in the 1990's, the stories begun throughout the book are brought to conclusion, as in a crescendo.

My Thoughts
This quiet book is remarkably moving and beautifully written. Despite what I felt was a slow start, I soon became captivated by Bea's story. Her practical but almost emotionless movement through life was fascinating to me. As each section of the novel played out, I found myself inextricably connected to these characters. This is surprising because, on the surface, there is very little about them to which I can relate. The key, however, is that their lives of privilege do not insulate them from everyday concerns and the characters are drawn so detailed that I found myself recognizing their emotions and frailties as similar to my own. Definitely recommend.

You can read other reviews from those on the TLC Tour (some are even offering a giveway!).

I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of the tour

Review: The Good House by Ann Leary

Hildy Good has lived in Wendover, MA her entire life - she knows virtually all the town's residents either from growing up with them or because she sold them their house in the town as the local realtor. She is a fixture of the town - she is wise and exudes a rugged New England practicality in all she does but she also has her flaws. Her struggles with alcohol, although well concealed, gradually undermine her otherwise straightforward, reliable reputation. The Good House by Ann Leary presents a coastal, provincial New England town replete with the accompanying gossip and its long standing, flawed resident, Hildy Good. There is humor but also the sobering reality of a alcoholic in denial.

 Hildy Good's family has been in New England since the early days post the Mayflower - one of her ancestors was tried during the Salem Witch Trials. She is a successful realtor who sells the increasingly pricey homes in this small New England town. Hildy has almost a sixth sense about homes and what they say about their owners - with just a quick home tour she can see the secrets its owners are hiding and detect what they would like people to think of them even if it is untrue. She uses this insight when she meets Rebecca McAllister, her husband and their two boys. Hildy sells them a mansion in Wendover but Rebecca is having problems acclimating to the town and wonders whether she and her husband have made a mistake to move there from Boston. Hildy befriends Rebecca and, although she believes she sees Rebecca's flaws, she is drawn to the woman and becomes her confidant. Rebecca is intense and her behavior becomes erratic as she starts an affair with a local, married man. Hildy didn't see this erratic behavior coming and is rattled at the failure of her insight to understand Rebecca.

 For someone with so much insight into others including their motivations and secrets, Hildy remarkably lacks insight into herself and her own flaws. A recovering alcoholic who never believed she really had a problem but went to rehab at the behest of her adult daughters, Hildy can't see how her addiction drives her own behavior and clouds her judgement. Slowly, she begins to cross the boundaries she had set for herself post rehab - first no drinking at all, then no drinking in public, then no drinking hard liquor and only wine. Gradually, she loses the control she had on her drinking and she begins to unravel. She is defiant in the face of this unraveling insisting that she is one of the most successful businesswomen in the area and that she doesn't have a problem. Even her friendship with Rebecca is cloaked in her alcoholism - when she first shared a drink with Rebecca she realized how much she missed having friends and each night she looked forward to sharing bottles of wine with her new friend. Despite her alarm at Rebecca's irrational behavior, Hildy wants to continue drinking with her friend and knows Rebecca knows how much she drinks even though those closest to Hildy believes she is a teetotaler. Her alcoholism has entangled her in in the gossip of the town and she can't extract herself.  

My Thoughts
 The Good House offers an interesting peek into a small, close-knit New England town and its established resident Hildy Good. In addition to the insight into the town and its residents, we also get real insight into Hildy and the demons she fights despite her calm, practical exterior. Hildy is the quintessential unreliable narrator - her disease begets contradictions in her behaviors which make her unreliable. At first, I was a little taken aback by Hildy's contradictions - there is scene in the latter third of the book where Hildy takes an action which betrays a trust - I was stunned and actually felt a little let down by Hildy. Until that point, she seemed solid, though flawed, but after this scene I began to question her values. I realize now that it makes her a more interesting character and illuminates how her disease controls her. This book is funny at times but also serious in that it deals with the downward spiral of a woman addicted to alcohol. If you enjoy books with flawed protagonists and where the setting is a character itself, pick up The Good House .