Wish Her Safe At Home
by Stephen Benatar
Brilliant use of narrative voice
When Rachel Waring
inherits a house in Bristol from her great-aunt. Suddenly she has
the opportunity to transform her life from quitting her dull job to
freedom from the roommate she dislikes. Now she can turn her
attention to the those things in her heart --- beauty and luxury and
even writing. As she encounters others, her reactions appear
increasingly odd. At times humorous, she says things alost any
person could fantasize doing. At times humorous and others sad,
Rachel draws the reader into her world. The further one enters
her mind's perspective, the more troubling seem her reactions.
One wants to keep her safe from all those outside forces that might
unmask the word she has created and thus reveal the increasing madness
in her perspective.
In WISH HER SAFE AT HOME,
Stephen Benatar creates a disturbing portrait of a woman's descent into
madness as seen from within her mind. As an unreliable narrator,
the reader never knows exactly what is real or what is imagined.
Although unreliable, Rachel Waring enlists the reader on her side at
the same time as her stories increasingly trouble and disturb.
Although the author clearly situates the novel in place, Rachel Waring
is a character one might find any place. Although set in the
early 1980s, Rachel could exist in any time. One could easily
imagine tales of one's older Southern relatives as similar --- at least
in the beginning. At first glance, Rachel Waring could be anyone,
but as the author develops Rachel's portrait, the differences disturb,
all the more so as one finds oneself rooting for her over those who
might disrupt her world. As her obsessions grow, as her
perceptions combine with misunderstandings, Benatar creates both humor
and emotional pathos. WISH HER
SAFE AT HOME is a brilliant fusing of form and content.
One cannot easily fit this novel into a pre-defined genre and therein
lies its magnificence, particularly now when often publishers often go
for the easy sell rather than literary brilliance. Despite
its short page count, WISH HER SAFE
AT HOME is a novel that demands reading attention to see the
brilliant use of the author's use of narrative voice. WISH HER SAFE AT HOME is a novel
with fine, subtle well-orchestrated changes as the novel progresses
while immersing the reader in Rachel Waring' voice. WISH HER SAFE AT HOME continues
to give more and more upon re-reading(s), making it a keeper for the
library bookshelves and a good choice for discussion either in the
classroom or in book clubs.
An 11 page introduction by British literary critic John Carey
accompanies this first paperback publication of WISH HER SAFE AT
HOME. Carey defends his choice of this novel for the 1982 Booker
Prize against the dissent of other judges. More importantly, his
comments provide a key to the brilliance of Stephen Benatar's novel
without giving away too much of the novel. Whether one reads the
introduction before reading the novel or afterwards, or even both,
Carey's analysis does not hinder the reading experience or the
surprises in store. The introduction provides enough pointers to
stimulate book club discussions.
Publisher:
NYRB Classics (January 19, 2010)
Introducton by John Carey
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
Review Courtesy of Amazon Vine
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