The Woman Upstairs caused a bit of a stir recently among the literary critical community, when author Claire Messud objected to a question about whether her main character was likeable. Is there a double standard when judging books from male and female authors? Or for male and female characters?
Nora, the narrator of The Woman Upstairs, is nowhere near as unlikeable as I expected her to be. She is more open than most people about her (unattractive) neediness and self-involvement, but I think most people feel the same kinds of feelings. I know I do.
Nora is a third-grade schoolteacher who harbors dreams of being an artist. She meets Sirena, the mother of one of her students who is an up-and-coming artist, and her relationship with Sirena awakens her hopes for a more fulfilling life. It's obvious from the beginning that Nora invests more in the relationship than Sirena does. A profound disappointment is inevitable.
These kinds of asymmetrical relationships happen all of the time. Nora's story shows their benefits as well as their drawbacks. Nora does return to her art and has a season where life feels full of promise. The book documents a character struggling against feelings of regret and trying to live more fully; this theme always speaks to me, which probably reveals something unattractive about me.
Nora, the narrator of The Woman Upstairs, is nowhere near as unlikeable as I expected her to be. She is more open than most people about her (unattractive) neediness and self-involvement, but I think most people feel the same kinds of feelings. I know I do.
Nora is a third-grade schoolteacher who harbors dreams of being an artist. She meets Sirena, the mother of one of her students who is an up-and-coming artist, and her relationship with Sirena awakens her hopes for a more fulfilling life. It's obvious from the beginning that Nora invests more in the relationship than Sirena does. A profound disappointment is inevitable.
These kinds of asymmetrical relationships happen all of the time. Nora's story shows their benefits as well as their drawbacks. Nora does return to her art and has a season where life feels full of promise. The book documents a character struggling against feelings of regret and trying to live more fully; this theme always speaks to me, which probably reveals something unattractive about me.
No comments:
Post a Comment