Ruth Schiller - An Unlikely Introduction to Bookers

I had been reading Bookers for years without even realizing it. One often picks up a book which is stamped with a golden circle and "Winner of the 19xx/20xx  So-and-so prize". I hadn't really thought about it. A good book is a good book, with or without a stamp. My first Booker was probably Golding's Rites of Passage (1980) which I read sometime in the 80s (definitely time to read it again); then The God of Small Things (1997) around the time it was published; Heat and Dust (1975); Hotel Le Luc (1984), recommended and passed to me by my sister who has overflowing bookshelves with great treasures; and Life of Pi (2002) which I gave my eldest for a birthday gift quite a few years back.

I became aware of the Man Booker prize in the spring of 2010, about a year ago. My second son, who will be turning 16 next month, was deep into chemotherapy treatments – and I needed something good to read. He had been diagnosed with cancer late in October 2009 and after two initial chemo treatments, major surgery, more chemo and simultaneous radiation, he was reduced to a 90 pound weakling (43 kilos to be exact)– albeit with a radiant smile, his usual witty and delightful disposition and a soft, lustrous and truly beautiful bald head. It was a difficult time, but we managed. I really needed something good to read.

Lucky people have good book sources. Siblings (be they sisters with good taste, or professor of literature brother-in- laws) often have capacious bookshelves.  I asked said brother-in-law to bring me something good to read, and he did. The Glass House by Simon Mawer and Summertime by J.M. Coetzee (both shortlisted in 2009). Thus started my romance with Bookers.

It is hard to feel accomplished when one spends about half of one's time in the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology ward. So I decided that I would accomplish something purely for me:  I would read really good books, my own personal Booker challenge.


Marie's Review- Hotel Du Lac, by Anita Brookner

Hotel du Lac, by Anita Brookner. Originally published 1984. This edition 1995 by Vintage Contemporaries. Paperback.

Hotel du Lac is a quiet novel that nonetheless has a lot to say. Winner of the 1984 Booker Prize, it's the story of Edith Hope, a writer on a self-imposed exile at an out-of-season Swiss hotel, which she shares with a small group of (mostly) women. Mrs. Iris Pusey is a narcissistic grande dame on perpetual holiday with her spinster daughter Jennifer; their primary occupation is consumption- shopping and eating. Monica is a tall, striking woman accompanied by a small dog but otherwise alone, a single middle-aged woman looking for what the Puseys already have, a wealthy man to support her. An older woman also resides at the hotel, staying on until the end of the season, at which time her family will send her elsewhere to be looked after. And then there is Edith, alone for entirely different reasons, who forms slight attachments to each but remains definitively on her own.

What we do know about Edith is that she's desperately in love with David, a married man and art dealer, to whom she writes detailed letters about the people and goings on at the hotel. But David is not the primary scandal she's escaping, and he won't be her redemption, either. That story unfolds slowly as Edith gets to know a Mr. Neville, a single and well-off man also in residence at this placid hotel that nonetheless buzzes with the quiet desperation of its inhabitants.

At the core of this slim novel is character- Brookner's and Edith's sharp character studies of the ladies, especially the Puseys, and Edith's own arc as she makes difficult choices about the next stage of her life. For a long stretch her future is open-ended and uncertain as she steps through each day walking the town, writing and navigating the genteel minefield of the other ladies' own emotional landscapes. The setting reflects Edith's state of mind, perpetually gray and blank. Color comes from the ladies' clothing and conversation. She's recovering from a major trauma, and more than that, has to decide what to do next; uncertainty is the dominant tone. Towards the end decisions agendas are revealed that change that landscape and lead to Edith's final choice, and it feels so right and well-drawn that it's hard to imagine it turning out any other way.

Hotel du Lac is a fine literary read that readers of thoughtful womens' fiction will savor and enjoy. Brookner mixes pathos and humor- her portrait of Mrs. Pusey in particular has moments of real hilarity- in a novel that resembles Jane Austen written in a contemporary style, but with an emphasis on the pathos. She uses the very Austenian theme of women's economic vulnerability but instead of marriage solving life's problems, she asks if the material rewards of dependence engender a kind of complacency or even rot. But the novel is smarter than to be so simple-minded in its message; Brookner also sets up contrasts that ask if being alone is the worth the price it demands as well. Overall thoughtful, thought-provoking and lovely, Hotel du Lac is a beautifully crafted narrative that will reward the careful reader.

See this review on my blog, Boston Bibliophile.

Anita Brookner: Hotel du Lac

I have a friend that loves wine. He holidays in vineyard regions of France and attends tastings before returning with crates of wine. When he serves wine, he is careful to tell you the story of each bottle; he explains about the holiday, the tasting and describes the wine producer.

I don't love wine, but I do love books. Often a particular book will hold a resonance for me outside of the story in it, and this book particularly so.

I first read Hotel du Lac when visiting my Granny in her little cottage near Chichester. I remember returning it expressing my enjoyment of it politely but dishonestly. Granny was sharp though, I doubt she was fooled, and I still feel stirrings of guilt that I did not honestly state my feelings about the book with her.

Hotel du Lac is the story of a woman who has jilted her fiance at the altar, and who is essentially sent away to do penance for the shame.

My Granny had an affair with a married man when she was herself married. In the 1930's both her lover and herself left their spouses and after protracted divorces, married each other, the culmination of which was the birth of my father. I was rather shocked by what I saw as the wanton behaviour of Edith, but knew enough about my Granny's past to know it might not be a good idea to express that.

I have since read the book again, and being more worldly I enjoyed it more. I don't really sympathise with Edith. I still felt that she was rather wanton, and do not understand someone who jump from one man to another without knowning any of them well (it speaks to me of either desperation, or an extremely romantic view of relationships). But Brookner is brilliant at describing the atmosphere of the out of season hotel, the broken, unfulfilling exchanges that hotel guests have with each other. And she describes being alone, and loneliness perfectly.

I found this a moving and thought provoking book.

1984 - Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

Hotel du Lac won the 1984 Booker and it is superb. Its central question is: what kind of woman should one be? In 1984 we were exploring feminism, but this is not quite what Brookner is on about; her female characters are always circumscribed by their lives and are never able to exercise much in the way of choices...

Edith Hope, in her late thirties, is a very respectable writer of romantic fiction, but she has scandalised her friends. Having drifted into accepting a widower's proposal, she has jilted him at the altar. Geoffrey was a nice man, a good catch and her 'last chance'. She meekly agrees to a 'holiday' at a small hotel in Switzerland while the scandal dies down...

What seems not to be acknowledged by her friend Penelope, is that Edith has a career and an independent income. She doesn't need a 'good catch'. She has a pleasant home and a settled life which brings quiet satisfactions: sunshine, gardens, lunch with her publisher and her agent. She also has, unknown to anyone, a lover, David, who is the light of her life although she sees him only once or twice a month. He is married and has a family that he does not intend to leave.

What she does not have, not in 1984, is social position. She is invisible, adapting herself to others, and pitied by them for apparently being 'unwanted by a man'. Marriage to Geoffrey would have ameliorated that, but there was too much to lose. She realises, as she rides around the block in a taxi to the Registry Office, that she would not be able to write, and she would lose her treasured routines. Her small pleasures and the identity she has suddenly seem more valuable. Were she to become a wife, she would have a different role to play, a house to keep and a social position to manage. At this crucial point, she decides to remain herself, as she is, with her life unchanged.

But the proposal and abortive marriage means that her life cannot remain unchanged. At the Hotel du Lac, she meets Mr Neville. He points out these things to her, that she is too self-effacing and that she should try behaving badly. More selfishly, less romantically. Unexpectedly, he proposes. He wants companionship, without demands. He expects, since they are not in love, to have affairs, and so should she.

She almost accepts him. She writes a farewell letter to her beloved David, from which we learn from mild traces of bitterness, that she knows that she really means very little to him. On her way to post it, she sees Mr Neville exit from Jennifer Pusey's room - poor, pathetic and very rich Jennifer, indulged by her suffocating mother, and for whom life is passing by. In this she is like Edith, except that Jennifer doesn't have the dignity of a profession or worthwhile pursuits. Edith is quietly outraged that Mr Neville uses women like Jennifer; she does not want to marry a man like that.

What kind of woman should she be? She will go back to England, but her life will not be quite the same. People are very cross with her, and although she tore up her letter to David, she may continue with him - if he offers. He may not, since he has not bothered to write to her. Does she want him? Like Mr Neville she wants companionship, but on her terms. She likes her house, her way of doing things. It would seem that she cannot have what she would really like, not in her social situation, because marriage brings social obligations that would interfere with the parts of her life that she likes.

Perhaps today she would be able to resolve the dilemma. She would be seen as a successful single woman, with no need of a man to place her. But her self-effacing personality, her shapeless cardiagsn and her inconspicuous dresses? Do they represent the real Edith, or do they symbolise the times when marriage was a woman's only destiny?

I finished reading this book and journalled it on 21.1.2004.
Lisa Hill, ANZ LitLovers

Hotel Du Lac - Wendy's Review

Edith Hope, a writer of romantic fiction under a more thrusting name, remained standing at the window, as if an access of good will could pierce the mysterious opacity with which she had been presented, although she had been promised a tonic cheerfulness, a climate devoid of illusions, an utterly commonsensical, not to say pragmatic, set of circumstances - quiet hotel, excellent cuisine, long walks, lack of excitement, early nights - in which she could be counted upon to retrieve her serious and hard-working personality and to forget the unfortunate lapse which had led to this brief exile, in this apparently unpopulated place, at this slowly darkening time of the year, when she should have been at home… -From Hotel Du Lac, page 8-

And so begins Anita Brookner’s Booker Award winning novel. Edith Hope finds herself banished to a hotel in Switzerland to ponder her life and recover from a romantic stumble. Once there, she meets the other hotel visitors - a cast of characters with their own secrets, desires, and weaknesses.

Iris and Jennifer Pusey are a mother-daughter ensemble who fill their lives with the superficial glee of material gain. Edith observes their lives with a wry humor.

Behind their extreme pleasantness there lies something entrenched, non-negotiable, as if they can really take no one seriously but themselves. As if they feel sorry for anyone who is denied the possibility of being a Pusey. And this, of course, is, by definition, everyone. -From Hotel Du Lac, page 109-

Also residing in the hotel is the elderly Mme de Bonneuil who has been abandoned by her son and selfish daughter-in-law; Monica who suffers an eating disorder and dotes on her spoiled dog; and Mr. Neville - a blunt man convinced that self-centeredness is the key to happiness.

Anita Brookner weaves a story which is introspective and beautifully developed about a woman searching for herself while struggling to find love and acceptance. Despite its serious undertones, Hotel Du Lac is surprisingly funny. Edith embodies the idea of feminism, liberation and romantic ideals - a woman who is torn between her fantasies of being swept away by romance, while at the same time desiring her independence.

[...] if she’s all that liberated, why doesn’t she go down to the bar and pick someone up? I’m sure it’s entirely possible. It’s just that most women don’t do it. And why don’t they do it?’ she asked, with a sudden return of assurance. ‘It’s because they prefer the old myths, when it comes to the crunch. They want to believe that they are going to be discovered, looking their best, behind closed doors, just when they thought that all was lost, by a man who has battled across continents, abandoning whatever he may have had in his in-tray, to reclaim them. -From Hotel Du Lac, page 27-

The tension in the novel comes from the characters’ releationships to each other which ultimately help Edith to make a momentous decision.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Brookner writes with elegant, passionate prose and leaves the reader feeling deeply satisfied.

Highly recommended.

Trevor's Review of Brookner's Hotel du Lac

A disturbing book that was at the same time a pleasure to read. We begin when Edith Hope commences her stay at the Hotel du Lac, a luxury hotel, prideful of the fact that it is the place people go when they need a deep rest. Brookner's prose perfectly encapsulates the mood as Edith stands before her window looking out on a grey day:

"Edith Hope, a writer of romantic fiction under a more thrusting name, remained standing at the window, as if an access of good will could pierce the mysterious opacity with which she had been presented, although she had been promised a tonic cheerfulness, a climate devoid of illusions, an utterly commonsensical, not to say pragmatic, set of circumstances--quiet hotel, excellent cuisine, long walks, lack of excitement, early nights--in which she could be counted upon to retrieve her serious and hard-working personality and to forget the unfortunate lapse which had led to this brief exile, in this apparently unpopulated place, at this slowly darkening time of the year, when she should have been at home."

Guests come to rest, often sent by their families because their families don't know what else to do with them. In a way, it feels like a sanitorium, though at the same time it is like a nice pension in Switzerland. Edith herself is attempting to recover from something, and her friends are glad to be rid of her. When Edith gets there, the season is beginning to end. There is a feeling of both of loneliness and security.

I expected this to be a type of romance novel. The description on the back of my book is a bit misleading in this regard. However, I found a great exploration of love and its role in relationships. For years before coming to the hotel, Edith was involved with a married man. She knows that to him she is a diversion, someone to visit for relaxation. But since he has never said as much himself, she cannot bring herself to fully accept the fact either. She is honest with herself, but her philosophies have prevented her from changing. She sees herself on the periphery, and she knows that's where people expect her to be. At the hotel, she meets a cast of characters who are mostly out-of-season women who, like her, feel but fail to comprehend or accept their situation. The one man staying at the hotel approaches Edith with a different philosophy that Edith both wants and does not want.

"Since I freed myself from all that I have discovered the secret of contentment. . . . It is simply this. Without a huge emotional investment, one can do whatever one pleases. One can take decisions, change one's mind, alter one's plans. There is none of the anxiety of waiting to see if that one other person has everything she desires, if she is discontented, upset restless, bored. One can be as pleasant or as ruthless as one wants. If one is prepared to do the one thing one is drilled out of doing from earliest childhood--simply please oneself--there is no reason why one should ever be unhappy again."

Edith recognizes the logic of this theory. She wants to free herself from what others see her as. But she recognizes contradictions. But the man has grown an interest in her. She wants what his philosophy offers but she knows she cannot have what she wants if he too espouses this philosophy. The book has many paradoxes and contradictions--one of its strengths.

I enjoyed the book from the beginning to end. Brookner's structure is excellent, and she can go backwards and forwards in time smoothly. She can also present the contradictions and their connections to feminism and post-modern theories. However, the book is not itself an exercise in these theories. It's a fairly straight-forward story that offers a lot of food about what's wrong and right with relationships.
3 stars out of 5.

Hotel du Lac - Laura's Review

Hotel du Lac
Anita Brookner
184 pages

First sentence: From the window all that could be seen was a receding area of grey.

Reflections: Edith Hope was sent to the Hotel du Lac by well-meaning friends, in the hopes that the surroundings will bring her peace after an upsetting romantic incident. The hotel is in a Swiss resort area, on a lake near Geneva: "What it had to offer was a mild form of sanctuary ... a place guaranteed to provide a restorative sojourn for those whom life had mistreated or merely fatigued." It is autumn, the tourists are gone, and the hotel has only a few guests. Upon arrival, Edith tentatively approaches the salon for tea:

"As she descended the wide, shallow stairs Edith could hear well-behaved laughter echoing from some sort of salon ... then, as she approached, as if drawn to this sound, a sudden furious barking, high-pitched, peevish, boding ill for future peace."

Edith's apprehension about the Hotel du Lac turns to fascination as she observes the other guests in the salon. Edith is a sensible sort, always clad in tweed and cardigans. She first becomes acquainted with Iris Pusey and her adult daughter, Jennifer, wealthy, fashionable women, mourning Iris' husband and feeding their emotional hunger by shopping in boutiques. They try to recruit Edith, but she is intimidated by their world: "Where they saw luxury goods, she saw only houses of detention." One by one we meet other guests: the aging Madame Bonneuil, Monica (the dog's owner), and Mr. Neville, who takes an interest in Edith.

Meanwhile, Edith is longing for David, a married man with whom she had an affair. During her stay at Hotel du Lac, she half-heartedly attempts to purge the emotions surrounding this relationship. She is alternately fascinated and repulsed by Mr. Neville's attentions. Brookner's exquisite prose draws the reader right into the ambience of the Hotel and its day-to-day routines. And yet, as the autumn season draws to an end and the hotel prepares to close for the winter, Brookner throws in a few surprises that ultimately make for a very satisfying ending. Highly recommended. ( )

The original review can be found here.