Abandonment

Rating:
Summary: An excellent play that tells two linked stories
Review: "Abandonment," be Kate Atkinson, is a play that switches back and forth in time to tell two connected stories. The opening pages of the book note that the play was first performed at the Traverse Theater in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2000; also noted is the fact that the author lives in Edinburgh.

The play opens with Elizabeth, a contemporary woman who works as a historian and lives in a converted Victorian mansion. The people in her life include her sister Kitty, a reporter; her widowed mother Ina; her best friend Susie, a lesbian who wants to have a baby with her partner; and Callum, a New Age-y fellow who's doing work on the house. These characters deal with both their current relationships as well as with issues from the past that continue to haunt them. Their story alternates with that of a troubled family that occupied the house in the 19th century.

I really didn't know what to expect when I started reading this play, but by the end I really loved it. It's a full-bodied blend of tragedy and comedy; the two stories are effectively linked. Although the story is at times a bit soap opera-ish, ultimately the play as a whole is quite moving and very satisfying.

Some of the play's themes include romantic love, sex, societal pressure, sisterhood, infidelity, and women's desire for motherhood. The dialogue is strong, and the characters really came to life for me as I read the play. I think this would be a good book both for classes in contemporary drama and women's studies; I also recommend it for independent reading.