Still Life with Insects

Following a nervous breakdown, Elwyn Farmer finds stability and broad insight by keeping a journal of his insect sightings--an endeavor that also reveals a great deal about his family and himself

The distinctive narrative form of Kiteley's intelligent first novel commands attention and resonates with insights. In a series of spare, often lyrical vignettes (the first dated 1945, the last 1984), narrator Elwyn Farmer records obliquely the circumstances of his life as he shakily finds his way back to emotional health following a nervous breakdown. He is a Minnesota chemist and dedicated amateur entomologist, and the occasion and rubric for each entry is a sighting made of a beetle species. Into his ken come not only the bugs but his wife, two sons, a brother, business associates, grandchildren--one of whom is writing a novel about him. In his carefully observant manner, Kiteley creates the virtual opposite of the conventional sprawling family novel; this narrative is a miniature, peeking into the dramas of uneventful middle-class lives as with a microscope. As in art miniatures too, the vividness of the closeups comes at the expense of scope and breadth. Nevertheless, there is depth and poignancy in the epiphanies these moments create.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In this slight, lyrical novel, Kiteley portrays the quiet life of bug collector Elwyn Farmer by juxtaposing entries from his entomology journals with scenes from Farmer's family and business life. Given the structure, reading this work is much like leafing through a picture album and recapturing each moment in time, savoring its uniqueness, pondering its significance in the course of life. Unfortunately, the lack of plot provides little forward movement and even less sense of resolution at the end. An interesting concept, but ultimately unsatisfying reading.
- Linda L. Rome, Mentor, Ohio
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.