Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2012
- 320 pp.
- ISBN-13: 9780307949073
e-ISBN: 978-0-385-53584-7
This is the sort of novel that
has you awake at 3:30 am, unwilling to stop until you reach the last page. Following which, no matter how exhausted and and mentally scattered you feel, you find yourself writing a blog post about it. That was me, a few nights ago. But this is more than a page-turning hot read, in part because of
the quality of the writing, but also because there’s deeper meaning there for
those that want to look for it.
As to the plot: it takes place in the eastern Midlands of England. Tara, a teenage girl, disappears after
meeting a stranger, Hiero, in Charnwood Forest (a real place in Leicestershire, incidentally, as you can read here). After a long absence, she returns on Christmas Day, claiming she has been
trapped in a parallel reality populated by what some would call fairies.
Tara has hardly aged at all during her absence. She believes only six months have passed. But her parents know she's been gone for 20 years. During her absence her parents have become elderly
and feeble, and her brother Peter has become an adult with a wife and family. Her ex-lover
Richie has become an underachiever and substance abuser, unable to get over her disappearance.
Tara insists she's telling the truth about crossing over to another world. Dr.
Underwood, her psychiatrist, concludes she has unconsciously fabricated her story as a defense mechanism to avoid confronting some trauma that occurred during her years of absence. As the plot progresses Tara becomes increasingly dissatisfied with the world she now
lives in, finding it pales in comparison to that of the fairies. She also comes to believe a spurned lover from the other side has followed her back into
this reality, seeking vengeance.
Cleverly written, the book itself is reticent about what really happened. For much of the book, the author leaves open several scenarios. In the end it’s pretty clear which of those scenarios you’re supposed to accept. Joyce adroitly keeps the game a-going for a good long while, but in the end the reader will conclude that Tara's version of events is true. This should come as no surprise given the the supernatural elements in Joyce's other work. There's also the strong linkage between Tara's version of events and Irish folkloric tales of fairy abduction. It's all here: a disconnect in the passage of time, the inability to return (especially if you've had food or drink in the other world), and Hiero's dark side despite his glamour. All of these can be found in the work of Irish authors such as Yeats, LeFanu, and Lord Dunsany.
Certain characters' names must have been chosen for a reason. Tara's name acknowledges the story's roots in Irish literature; The Hill of Tara is the traditional seat of the High Kings of Ireland. Hiero's name is pronounced "yarrow," which is a flowering plant with healing properties as well as the name of certain rural locations in England and Scotland, perhaps signifying the character's affinity with nature and the land. Yarrow is also the title of a fantasy novel by Charles DeLint.
Dr. Underwood's name combines "under-," signifying the unconscious mind, which he attempts to understand through psychiatric methods, and "-wood," representing Charnwood Forest, a supposed portal to the alternate reality. His first name, Vivian, is ambiguous (male? female?), like so much in the story. The neighbor Mrs. Larwood's name also contains "-wood," signifying her connection to Charnwood Forest.
You can read this as nothing more than a damned good story, and you won’t be disappointed. On the strength of that alone, I know I’ll be reading more of Joyce’s work. But I think Joyce had some deeper meaning in mind beyond telling a good tale. Tara is torn between two worlds. The author seems to be making a point about the duality and ambiguity of people, of existence. Is our world of reason and restraint better or worse than the dreaminess and uninhibited sensuality of Tara's other world? Can both worlds exist at the same time? Can the sublime also be dangerous? If something has one quality, does that totally exclude its opposite? This story seems to be saying: it’s not that simple. But perhaps there's a hint in a quote of Joseph Campbell's which Joyce cites, implying that the world of men and the world of myth are really one. The land of myth is actually the world of long-forgotten racial memories.
There are also messages to ponder regarding personal choice and its effect on others; the connection of all living things; and the harsh truth that everything comes at a cost. Tara and Mrs. Larwood find great beauty in their parallel world, but it injures their eyes (they can no longer see their own world in the same way) and threatens their families. The fairy folk will have their price. It's a terrific book.
Link:
Author's web site