Synopsis
Following her lover's suicide, Rosemary turns to her circle of family and friends in the small world of Bixley, Maine, where she is coaxed out of her cocoon by her gay uncle, her garrulous sister, and an old college roommate. 25,000 first printing. Tour.
Reviews
Pelletier's ( Once Upon a Time on the Banks ) bittersweet but affirmative novel about a quirky, crisis-ridden family in small-town northern Maine may remind readers of Anne Tyler's work. Exploring the ways people tend to pair off and the ways they respond when these bonds are broken, she follows the course of lonely characters bereft of their mates, echoing her theme in grace-note references to bird behavior. Rosemary O'Neal, a 33-year-old teacher, falls apart when William, her live-in lover of eight years, commits suicide during a trip abroad. While Rosemary seeks solace in isolation, loved ones gradually intrude on her privacy. Among them are her sister, an oft-divorced neurotic; her uncle, an overweight and overwrought gay man; and her roommate from her college days, who is now choosing between husband and lover. Turning the phrase "shit happens" into a mantra as family and friends take over her house, Rosemary erects a tent in the backyard, a move that proves to be one of many stages in her grieving process. Despite the occasional patch of sentimental prose and a self-conscious zaniness, Pelletier's tale of separation and renewal is achingly poignant.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
In The Weight of Winter (1991) and other Down East village tales, Pelletier's mix of tragedy and comedy somehow refused to settle. Here, however, the story of a grieving young woman, caught within the jiggly orbit of a nutty family, is appealing and good fun. Rosemary O'Neal lived with painter William for eight years in her huge old house in northern Maine. Then William set off for Europe with a plan--which seemed to be accomplished when he committed suicide. Rosemary became an isolate--and would continue as such if her family would allow it. Nice young brother Robbie is in college, but there's Uncle Bishop, a gay, 300-pound gourmet who subscribes to Doll House World; sister Miriam, much married, who's continually engaged in verbal warfare with Bishop; Mother, ``that sad, malfunctioning universe,'' who demands to know when Father (who's been dead for years) is coming; and dear, dying Aunt Rachel, who cares for Mother. Rosemary, according to her college friend Lizzie--who's on her way to visit--is the ``normal'' one in the Munster family. But, alas, like Lourdes, Rosemary's house attracts the ``emotionally handicapped'': friend Lizzie, her estranged husband, and new lover; Uncle Bishop, depressed after his lover goes back to his wife and after a feud with a bird-loving neighbor; and Miriam, in a marital row. When everyone moves in, Rosemary moves to a tent and begins her death watch. She strains after her childhood past (if she can let Father go, William will be next), combs the skies for star-wisdom and even sees a ``birdman'' aviator (earthbound, he's a lemon). Meanwhile, the deaths of animals, including her beloved cat, tell her more about ``the ultimate blind date.'' She'll be popping relatives with a BB gun before--renewed- -she rejoins the family circle. A congenially bittersweet story, with often hilarious witchy dialogue: Pelletier's best. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Though still set in northern Maine, this fourth novel departs from Pelletier's trilogy: The Funeral Makers ( LJ 5/15/86); Once Upon a Time on the Banks ( LJ 8/89); and The Weight of Winter ( LJ 11/1/91). Through a year's cycle, we follow high school English teacher Rosemary as she recovers, after their eight years together, from her artist lover's unexpected suicide. Pelletier skillfully deals with death in life-affirming ways. Her lyrical chapters are gems glinting with humor that could generally stand alone as short stories. Rosemary's family and friends form a cast of unique characters that are nevertheless believable. Pelletier is excellent at illuminating ordinary lives within nature's context, bringing out the beauty and complexities they contain. Libraries collecting contemporary fiction should own all four highly recommended novels.
- Rebecca S. Kelm, North ern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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