Academic historians Nick and Sarah Mallinson and their young family take off for a six month sabbatical to a remote French farmhouse and soon unwittingly become emeshed in a dark lingering history of rural France. The small community they move into has long memories and the house they are renting also bears physical and emotional scars of tragic events during the Second World War and afterwards.
| The Standing Pool by Adam Thorpe | |
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| Category: Literary Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Sharon Hall
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| Summary: The Mallinsons take off for a six month break and become emeshed in a dark history of rural France, geographically and emotionally many miles from their remote academic interests. A beautifully written novel by an author with a fine understanding of place and landscape. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 432 | Date: June 2009 |
| Publisher: Vintage | |
| ISBN: 978-0099503651 | |
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The story is partly told from the point of view of the Mallinsons and by Jean-Luc, the handyman from the village who lives with his ailing mother but spends a lot of time at the house, Mas des Fosses. Through him we hear some of the terrible stories about events in the war and much later, and the effects it has had on the him, his family, the rest of the community and the landscape.
The family settle into their rented home and investigate their surroundings. Some people are welcoming, others are offhand or, in the case of the boar hunters, ride roughshod through their property. Jamie, Nick's grown-up son from his first marriage, arrives unbidden and uncovers some of the history of the house, although Nick can't help himself by retreating into an academic and objective historian's analysis. Original, in this case oral, research had always been his Achilles heel, he muses. A visit by the English owners of the house changes the pace somewhat, and their intervention with Jean-Luc over domestic issues precipitates … well, that would be telling.
The writing is rich and complex but never overly purple. Thorpe's descriptions of the farmhouse and the landscape and of French rural life are both recognisable and quietly impressive. As a fan of his earlier work, Ulverton, I have come to expect a real understanding of place and I wasn't disappointed. Anyone visiting rural France will recognise the omnipresent evidence of history, through monuments, plaques and cemeteries, and the feeling of timelessness and of scores not quite settled. That feeling of unease behind what we as visitors see as a rural idyll is palpable and made more complex for not having a full grasp of what has gone before. I have also stayed in similar rented properties (without a handyman!) and have experienced the pleasant woody smell, along with a hint of mice, cool powdery walls, strange animal rustlings outside and the enveloping darkness and quiet of the deep countryside.
On the down side, some of the symbolism I felt was a little heavy handed at times, particularly the theme of the pool of the title. However, overall, I would say that the book is well worth reading and I would also encourage readers to tackle Ulverton, a marvellous book about the English landscape.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Standing Pool by Adam Thorpe at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Standing Pool by Adam Thorpe at Amazon.com.
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