Reconstructionist [Paperback]

Josephine Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2002

A remarkable novel of startling psychological power, The Reconstructionist, Josephine Hart's fifth novel, explores the reckless quality of exclusive love, the damage done in families, and the way we build our lives from the fragments of memory, half-truths, compromise, and desire. A brilliant and incisive fiction, this is Josephine Hart at the top of her form.

Jack Harrington is a psychiatrist, dedicated to others, to the examination of their pasts and the reconstruction of their lives. But he has so absorbed himself in the problems of others that he has not quite come to grips with his own-to the detriment of his marriage and his own unexamined past. When Jack is summoned to Ireland for the sale of his family home, however, the burdens of his family's heritage return in full force. Though he has successfully suppressed the anguish of his past, the present threatens to unravel around him. In the house in Ireland terrible truths emerge about what happened years ago in a family tragedy that left indelible marks on those who survived it. The past may have been reconstructed many times, but the appalling truth has not.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hart's clever fifth novel (after Damage; Sin; Oblivion) explores the lingering influence of parents on their children. Jack Harrington, a well-to-do London psychiatrist, immerses himself in the familial problems of his patients' pasts, while admirably repressing his own childhood trauma. His sister, Kate, a seductive writer of "fluffy things," is less able to cope with that trauma, and readers learn early on that Jack's good-natured protectiveness toward his sister belies a far more disturbing sort of sibling bond. Jack and Kate's smart-set lifestyle threatens to unravel when the family estate suddenly comes up for sale at the same time as Jack's ex-wife suffers a heart attack and Kate's impending marriage plans bring her to the brink of nervous collapse. Forced to confront his demons at last, Jack retakes possession of the family homestead and reconstructs the story of his parents' marriage and its sudden, horrifying disintegration. Hart has packed this little gem of a novel with sparkling aphoristic insights befitting Jack's profession, and her sketches of fragile, childlike characters masquerading as capable adults are deftly drawn (as is that of Rose, Jack's hysterically venomous mother-in-law). The book's title takes on a multitude of meanings as the plot unfolds, most appropriately during the surprising resolution of events in the finale. (Nov. 15)Forecast: Damage, which was made into a popular film (1992), was a bestseller, and Overlook is committing serious resources to The Reconstructionist, ordering a 30,000 first printing and budgeting $30,000 for advertising. Sales should be solid, though they won't match Damage totals.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Readers of Hart's famous debut, Damage, and her other edgy novels know that she effortlessly combines suspense, character study, and sexual tension into one tidy package. Her newest work is no exception. At its heart is Jack Harrington, a psychiatrist who skillfully manages to balance other people's lives, including that of his ex-wife, her overbearing husband, and her equally overbearing mother. Yet his intensely close relationship with his wayward, beautiful sister Kate is overlaid with dark shadows from the past that, it seems, are just about to be wiped away. The novel's opening pages hum along, undeniably creating intrigue: just what is the secret binding brother and sister? And why do they occasionally dance naked, in an entirely asexual coupling? Unfortunately, when their past trauma is finally laid bare, the effect is less than dazzling. Not that the tale of parental passion and violence lacks power, but Hart doesn't blow the lid of these emotions in the way she should. It's interesting to see what a successful "reconstructionist" Jack really is but not as moving as it should be. Good, slick reading that could have been more, alas. Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Overlook TP (November 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585673226
• ISBN-13: 978-1585673223
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,627,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MESMERIZING CONTEMPORARY GOTHIC TALE, October 29, 2001

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Reconstructionist (Hardcover)

As with her seductively dark debut novel, Damage (made into a film starring Juliette Binoche and Jeremy Irons), author Josephine Hart once again explores the paths of human desire and self-deception.

A successful London psychiatrist, Jack Harrington, devotes his hours and thoughts to the problems of his patients. Divorced from a wife with whom he had spent time "in the social purgatory that rowing couples inflict upon one another," he seems to lead a well ordered mannerly existence sometimes marked by overly protective feelings for his sister, Kate.

Jack's tranquility is interrupted when his former wife suffers a heart attack, the family estate in Ireland is put up for sale, and the soon-to-be-married Kate develops an eerie edginess.

When Jack and Kate return to the family home, he is forced to confront long buried truths concerning a long ago tragedy and the scars left upon those who witnessed it.

With masterly detail and perceptive psychological insights Josephine Hart has penned a mesmerizing contemporary Gothic tale centering on familial relationships, both beneficial and pernicious.

- Gail Cooke

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars pay attention while reading this book, November 8, 2001

By 

J. Peterson "jenpeterson" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Reconstructionist (Hardcover)

This book is a trip! You really have to pay attention while you read the book because they give clues all the way through it. There is a twist at the end that is totally unexpected. I had to re-read the last few chapters to make sure I read it right.

The story is told from Jack Trainor's point of view. Jack is a psychiatrist, and has a younger sister Kate. Kate is a writer, but she seems extremely unstable. The focus of the story is Jack's differing relationships with women. By the end of the story, there is a resolution in both Kate's relationships with men through the resolution of Jack's relationship with women. All this resolution comes because Jack faces the truth of the horrible event that framed their youth.

I would highly recommend this book. The librarian who checked it out to me told me it was strange, but I disagree. It takes a little bit to get used to, but the story grabs you as you get further in. Happy reading!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Reconstructionist": Beautifully written and wonderfully intimate story, July 31, 2006

By 

J. P. (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Reconstructionist (Paperback)

OVERALL:
This book is really wonderful in so many ways. The writing is honest, beautiful, and intricate, yet not ostentatious or pretentious. The story is very well thought out and the manner in which it unfolds is perfect. It is just so well-crafted (!) - throughout the story there are certain landmarks which as the story progresses begin to take on new meaning and importance.

CHARACTERS:
The characters are believable and three-dimensional, they are human with strengths and weaknesses, hopes and desires and faults. Jack Harrington is very real and a wonderful narrator; the reader is able to trust him and like him, despite the fact that we are privy to his more negative or darker thoughts. Kate, his sister, seems like an elusive mystery, though her explanation is unraveled at the end. Rose, Jack's ex-mother-in-law, is a wonderfully humorous character whom you just wish was real so that you could actually sit down and have a conversation with her.

TITLE:
At the end of the book, if one reexamines the title it takes on more meanings than originally thought, which I really must commend Ms. Hart on; it is really thoughtful, yet extremely subtle.

BASICALLY:
Definitely recommend it - a wonderful book that is worth buying, not just getting from the library.