Death in Summer

Rating:
Summary: Lukewarm and lacking depth
Review: Trevor's "Death in Summer" is a well-written but odd story to which I found myself somewhat indifferent.

Set in contemporary rural England, the outset of the tale revolves around two young people released into the world, recently discharged from a kind of asylum for young people, The Morning Star. We aren't told exactly what kind of institution but I'm assuming it was a mental institution of some sort, based on the characters' memories of it. After living in an abandoned shack following their release, the boy and the girl who have grown up as friends, try to build normal lives in society. Albert, responsible, kind and sensitive, secures a job washing grafiti off walls and boarding with a middle-aged invalid, as her live-in caretaker. While Pettie, impressionable, brooding, flighty, and prone to acts of petty thievery, decides to apply for a nanny position at a manor - the home of wealthy widower Thaddeus Davenant and his small infant daughter. When Thaddeus' mother-in-law decides to move into the manor to care for the child, there is no longer a need for a nanny. Unstable and imagining herself in love with Thaddeus (who she has only met once), Pettie sets out to prove her love and compassion for him and the infant...in a somewhat distorted way. Albert is instinctively protective of his vulnerable friend Pettie, and ultimately tries to help her out of the desperate situation she soon finds herself in.

As the story unraveled in third-person, the reader is afforded a glimpse into each character mind. Since two of the main characters are afflicted with mental infirmities, the barrage thoughts and their purposes can get a bit confusing. The reader may also find the dialogue and certain details a bit puzzling at times, if they are unfamiliar with certain English sayings or allusions.

Aside from it's unique perspective, "Death in Summer" exhibited an over abundance of unnecessary information, thoughts and observations which often detracted from the thought at hand, and diverted any interest I may have had in a current scene or plot turn in the novel. Granted, it was not a "dull" read, but not an overly memorable one either..."lukewarm" comes to mind. I feel the storyline itself had a lot of potential that could have been further developed into something more rich and impressive. It failed to involve and capture me.

Rating:
Summary: Interiors and Exteriors Make Interesting Story
Review: William Trevor has been highly recommended by people I respect, and I do plan on reading more of him. DEATH IN SUMMER is the first of his works I've encountered and while it did not quite live up to what I expected, that's not to say it isn't good. As I read it, I kept imagining it as a contemporary British television dramatization, a medium to which it would translate well, if not better than the page. The story is spare yet complicated: A new widower with an infant interviews and decides not to hire a nanny, instead accepting his mother-in-law's offer to come care for the child. Unknown to him, one of the girls interviewed and not hired as a nanny becomes obsessed with him, interjecting into his life unforeseen consequences, forcing him to confront the emotional isolation in which he had long taken refuge. The characters are fully drawn, as are the settings. The sentences are graceful. The movement of the action is a bit off, spending a little too much time away from the protagonist at times. It can be very quiet, too; doesn't eat its own scenery. In the end, though, it successfully conveys its themes, especially the observation of how so much of our knowledge about others' lives is gathered in eavesdropping or guessing, never with the complete information.

Rating:
Summary: Characters that will linger with you.
Review: William Trevor is my favorite writer. He conveys in simple, clean, but beautiful prose, the complexities of human existence. Having read all of Mr. Trevor's works, this novel is one of my favorites. It is the tragic story of loss and longing, filled with sympathetic characters -- victims and perpetrators. All of the characters are haunted by their particular past, and Mr. Trevor shows how that past impacts both the present and the future. A great novel, and the characters will stay with you long after you have finished the book. I strongly recommend this book (and Willliam Trevor) to anyone who enjoys writers such as Alice Munro or John Cheever.