Housekeeping

No this is not a novel on cleaning, however it may as well have been. Written by Marilynne Robinson it has the tagline (if books have taglines) of being one of the Observers greatest 100 books which for me is usually a good thing. A lot of people don't like award winning books or critically recognized ones but that's how I usually find something to read so I was looking forward to this one. Sadly however I can't say I understood it, the prose is rather dense (to put it mildly) and full of similes and metaphors predominantly concerned with water, as a lake seems pivotal to the whole story. Normally I don't really mind that style of writing but I just didn't have much patience for it this time. Synopsis time! Set in Fingerbone, which I can only assume is the 'sticks' of America, it concerns itself with the Fosters and primarily the two sisters Ruthie and Lucille. Their mother Helen killed herself much in the way of Thelma and Louise after leaving the two girls with her mother and hence their grandmother (the grandfather died years ago in an accident involving a train and the lake in Fingerbone). They are raised by a succession of members of the family until their Aunt Sylvie returns to Fingerbone and the rickety old family house. Then it gets a bit more interesting. Mainly because Sylvie is a bit more interesting, in the sense that she's a bit odd, she's lived as a vagrant for years and habits from that lifestyle have carried over to the more domesticated setting of a house. Ruth who narrates the tale finds she has much in common with Sylvie, both awkwardly tall, socially dysfunctional and really happier alone together than with friends and such things. Lucille however like most teenagers is solely concerned with what other people think, is ashamed and embarrassed by her odd Aunt and distances herself from her sister at school cause she just wants to fit in and live a 'normal' life eventually moving in with one of her teachers. The authorities try to take Ruth away from Sylvie but they make off in the night crossing the train tracks over the lake and essentially live happily (well as happily as inherently sad people can be) ever after in their vagabond shoes. That's about it. It's a short book but took me forever to read I didn't much enjoy it and it was never easy. I kept having to read the same bits over and over just could not get into it. I think part of the problem was that I was trying to rush through it as i've a class next week about the master and margarita, which I haven't yet read and I probably should have started that instead of trying to squeeze this book in too. With a bit of effort and patience I imagine I would have enjoyed this novel it's really quite philosophical and read at a more leisurely pace it might prove to be a lot better but as it stands right now I pretty much hated it.