Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Even though this book represents a number of my reading peeves, I really, really enjoyed it. Normally I don't tolerate too much back-story or backtracking because, why can't authors just tell a story in a normal, chronological, linear way? And I've recently sworn off coming-of-age stories, so really, the fact that I kept eagerly reading The Marriage Plot is a testament to this author's skill. But then, of course, Jeffrey Eugenides.

It's also curious that the protagonist, Madeleine, although I love that she is an English major and peppers her narrative with myriad literary references, is such a vapid and spoiled young woman. She keeps being referred to as 'whip-smart and beautiful' but I found her spineless and whiny and disliked her more and more as the story went on. Her parents, too, weren't particularly likable but were easier to forgive being of an older, perhaps more repressed generation. They loved their daughters but, the mother, Phyllida, "all hairspray and handbag" found it especially difficult to accept the realities of modern relationships, especially across class lines. Leonard, Madeleine's boyfriend, is one of the most complex characters I've come across in contemporary fiction in a long time. Suffering from bipolar disorder (at the time known as manic-depressive), he is both endearing, infuriating, and I'm guessing, a pretty accurate and humane representation of mental illness. No wonder it's such an elusive condition to treat. That leaves Mitchell, as odd and flawed as he is, as the winsome afterthought. When everyone else's cards are on the table, it looks like perhaps he's the one to root for.

So why did I like this book so much? I can only attribute it to the author's handling of such complicated and volatile social issues. I appreciate his trust in the reader's ability to apply a mature perspective to relationships that on the surface look straightforward, but in reality are considerably more problematic. I also found it interesting that it he chose 1982 as the year this all takes place. It's distant enough to feel dated (no cell phones or internet!) but recent enough to feel relevant. And finally, as a reader, he made me realize that my 'peeves' and prejudices are really quite unfounded.
5 out of 5 stars.

It's the early 1980s, the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English student and incurable romantic, is writing her thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, authors of the great marriage plots. As Madeleine studies the age-old motivations of the human heart, real life - in the form of two very different men - intervenes. Leonard Bankhead, brilliant scientist and charismatic loner, attracts Madeleine with an intensity that she seems powerless to resist. Meanwhile, her old friend Mitchell Grammaticus, a theology student searching for some kind of truth in life, is certain of at least one thing - that he and Madeleine are destined to be together.\
Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this funny, wise, and heartbreaking novel enter the real world, events force them to re-evaluate everything they learned in school. With wit and an abiding understanding of and affection for his characters and the drama of life, Jeffrey Eugenides creates a story so contemporary and fresh that it reads like the intimate journal of our own lives. (back cover)


6 comments:

Sam (Tiny Library) said...

I'm glad I saw this review today. I've owned this book since it first came out but I've been scared to read it as I loved The Virgin Suicides & Middlesex so much. Seeing that you liked it so much makes me think it may just live up to my expectations....

Trish said...

It's taken me ages to finally get to this and I ended up liking it better than Middlesex! Funny how that happens. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

JoAnn said...

Despite trying twice, I never could get through Middlesex. But it's still on my shelf (in hardcover, no less!) just in case I decide to try again. Had come to the conclusion that maybe Eugenides wasn't for me…. but you made me want to give him another chance, only with this book instead;-)

Trish said...

I had such a hard time with all the back-story and tangents in Middlesex. It totally stalled my reading flow! Marriage Plot has some jumping around but I found it easier to take. Don't give up on Eugenides; he has me intrigued enough now to want to go and round up more titles to add to my TBR shelf.

Kailana said...

I really want to read this. I have had it since it came out and haven't got around to it yet.

Trish said...

I hope you get to it soon :)