WATER and UNTIL AUGUST

Author (Water): John Boyne
Publisher (Water): Doubleday

Author (Until August): Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Publisher (Until August): Penguin Viking

Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger

One of the things that drew me to these two novels (or maybe novellas is the right description) Water by John Boyne and Until August by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was the fact that these two authors were writing from a woman’s perspective. And so poignantly and with such authenticity that it was as if they had burrowed into the female psyche and, in the lyrical way of these writers, verbalized thoughts and feelings. Both books use an island as a theme, perhaps symbolic for wanting to be isolated, live another life, start afresh. Whatever the motivations, it works and these are books that will intrigue and make you look at your fellow female with new eyes.

John Boyne’s ‘Water’ is the first in a quartet of novels named after the elements. There’s something about Irish writers… their pen touches the page with a surety that is at times gentle, at others harsh and yet forgiving. They write of the heart and the demons inside us, the choices we make, they delve under the layers to tease out a truth.

Vanessa Carvin has escaped from Dublin to a small island off the Irish coast. With inhabitants numbering about 400 she is trying to hide from the scandal and notoriety that has beset her and her family. Changing her name and look is her first mission. As Willow Hale, ensconced in a small cottage, this is a time for reflection, for understanding her decisions throughout her life, her perceived complicity, and to try and make peace with herself. I almost felt it was a love letter to her daughters, the one dead, the other distant.

What is it like to live with a controlling man, to play the perfect wife, to be blind to a truth, to live with guilt, to forgive yourself? Boyne sharply dissects the patriarchy who believe they have rights over women, the narcissism and underlying hate that blinds them and the women that play into the scenario. But he does this with an empathy that explores conditioning and expectations. He does not judge but allows the reader to do that.  My sense was that he uses water as the reflection of who we are now, the ripples that change that, and what lies beneath the surface.  This is a thoughtful, searingly honest novel that explores a situation that sadly is all too familiar.

Columbian Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, possibly ‘one of the greatest visionary writers of our time’, died in 2014. ‘Until August’ has been termed the ‘lost novel’ since it was a manuscript that he had been working on since 1999, had five versions, a struggle with the ending and was put aside. The Journey to publication was not without its twists and turns, and is told in a touching addendum from the editor of the Spanish edition, Christóbal Pera.  Some would say this novella does not do the great author justice however that is for the reader to decide. I enjoyed the gentle lyricism of the book, the underlying dissatisfaction of the protagonist and her protest against her closeted yet happy life.

Ana Magdelena Bach is the protagonist – she has been happily married for 25 years, her husband is a good man, and their relationship is one of respect, care and easy intimacy. A virgin at marriage she has a satisfying sex life with her husband. When her mother dies and is buried on a small island it is Ana’s wish to visit her grave every August, on the anniversary of her death. She wants to be alone with her mother. The ferry ride is a time for reflection, her arrival marked by some familiarity of faces and places: as the years pass so does the terrain she explores and that includes herself.  Each year she finds a new lover for that one night only. Perhaps unnamed, certainly unexpected although she dresses accordingly and earmarks her man.  This is her abandonment to the conventions of her life. Her guilt and fear on her return to her husband is measurable casting an uneasiness which extends to her thinking he may be having an affair! And as they skirt around each other it is her last visit to the grave and a surprising encounter that will be the decider for their future.

In its 125 pages it is a story to be read with amusement – Ana’s elaborate preparations for her evening intent on picking up a lover; surprise – in the lovers she chooses; emotion – for what drives her and finally peace – as she sees how this must be resolved. While this is not the master’s best work it is one that held a place in his heart and to my mind is fitting that it should have been published.