Customer Reviews

Unravelling

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This novel is a pretty amazing creation - Elizabeth Graver has created a story and characters here that are at once compelling and, although set firmly in the mid-19th century, have a lot of valuable insight for us in the present. I picked up this book after being impressed by her newer novel, THE HONEY THIEF - and I have to say that I enjoyed this one even more than that wonderful novel.

The central character here, the narrator, Aimée Slater, is, I think, the key to the book's depth. Born in the first half of the 19th century, she is both a product of and a reaction to the age. Her parents are good, if simple people - she and her family live on a farm in New Hampshire. She has siblings - the closest to her in age being her sister Harriet and her brother Jeremiah. All of the other children seem not merely to accept, but to seek the niches awaiting them in society and family - Aimée is headstrong and independent, always questioning the `why' of things. This trait exasperates her parents - and sets the course for her life at an early age.

Straining to break the stifling bonds of her household - but still holding a deep love for her parents in her heart - Aimée embarks from the rural area where her family lives to Lowell, Massachusetts, to work in one of the textile factories that have sprung up there. She does this against the wishes of her parents - especially her mother - but they give in to her when they realize that their hope of convincing her to do otherwise is nil. In the city, she encounters a world she has never seen before - and at fifteen years old, she is scarcely emotionally equipped to cope with it, despite what she may think. Like many other young girls away from home for the first time, in a time when sexuality and eroticism were repressed to the point of complete non-discussion, she is left by her first love affair pregnant and alone. Her mother makes no secret about being completely shamed by Aimée's situation - but at the same time, she finds a wealthy family who agrees to adopt the babies when they are born, who will support Aimée monetarily during her pregnancy. After the birth of her twins, even though she has agreed to the adoption, she is devastated by their departure - it is a sadness that, along with other events she has experienced, that will color her life.

One of the most moving passages in the novel, for me, was the depiction of an incident of a suppressed memory from Aimée's childhood being triggered by a scent. When she was a girl, one Christmas, her father produced a piece of chocolate candy - a rarity - without telling her that she was meant to share it with her sister. So taken was she by the taste and scent of the treat that she popped it whole into her mouth. Her father reacted angrily - another rarity - and forced her to spit out the candy, slapping her and calling her `a selfish girl'. Unused to such treatment from him, the young girl was traumatized by this - only as an adult, when offered a piece of chocolate, did the scent cause this memory to resurface.

Another incident that casts a lasting shadow over her life - and that of her brother Jeremiah - is an instance of brother-sister `touching' that occurred in the upper loft of the barn. As depicted in the story, I believe that it was more a result of a combination of natural curiosity, combined with the emotional repression and ignorance of the times, incestuous perhaps in one sense, but not an out-and-out case of abuse. I say this because it didn't involve any sort of attempt by either participant to exert control over the other - both children were left very uncomfortable by it, and it never happened again. Nonetheless, it changed their relationship forever, and it created a darkness that hovered over Aimée long past her childhood.

The sense of reality with which the author illuminates both of these incidents is incredible, and done with great insight and sensitivity. Any time events such as this are depicted in literature - or in film or on stage - in a sensitive and intelligent manner is an important step forward in society's understanding of them, and as such is extremely valuable.

The progress of Aimée's life - her emotional healing and growth - is told beautifully and realistically, without dripping sentimentality. She manages not only to heal her own emotional wounds, but also to reach out and touch the lives of those around her as well - and that touch is a blessing, coming from such a source. The story is a moving and compelling one - and it is one from which the reader can come away feeling his/her knowledge augmented in relation to this process. It is different, of course, for everyone who passes through it - but this story, of one woman's determination, pain, healing and courage, is an inspiring one, as well as being an `old fashioned' good read. I came away from this book uplifted and moved, and very impressed with Ms. Graver's writing abilities. Her sensitivity to her characters, combined with her apparent exhaustive research into the era, make this quite an accomplishment.

I cannot remember a book so beautiful or so moving. I found myself holding my breath for the protagonist, crying for her, hurting for her, cheering for her--and was altogther immersed in the world author Graver has created. I read dozens of novels each year and recommend this as the very best I have encountered in years.

Elizabeth Graver has written a thoughtful book that spoke to me on many levels. First of all, it is a book that makes one realize the importance of forgiveness, and yet how hard the truth is to see when you're in the middle of conflict, hurt. Secondly, the mother/daughter relationship is portrayed in all it's complicated mess so beautifully here. The push/pull relationship is very poignant. Aimee's conflicted feelings about wanting to leave her childhood home, yet how she cannot forgive her mother for letting her leave is very realistic. And Aimee's mother's feelings are palatable. Loved this book!

Unraveling is one of those extremely frustrating tomes you come across every now and then. I will stipulate that Graver can write. I will admit that the overall concept of the story is viable and of some interest. It's just that, for me, this thing never got off the ground. To say it is deliberately paced would be generous--plodding is another term that comes to mind. The characters are--or would be-of interest if they were ever fleshed out. The back - and - forth between childhood and adulthood irritates rather than informs.

As one can tell from the other reviews, there are many who found the book absorbing. I did not. That may say more about me than the book but, on the other hand, I seldom have this reaction to a book I've assessed a bit and found interesting enough to buy.

It's not so much that the book is bad, it just never seems to get anywhere. And, given what it might have been, that's a shame.

I loved this novel. Aimee is a character I will always remember, for her fierce independence, her sensuality, and her capacity to love despite the hardships she's endured in her life. I'm so glad this book is coming out in paperback. I've been waiting to read it with my book club.

Graver's Aimee Slater reveals herself without shame, not only through the unraveling of her tangled story, but also through her dreams, fears, hopes, and memories. A tough New Englander rooted in and by the soil, Aimee holds stubbornly to her ideals in an unforgiving environment, thereby becoming a truly "modern woman," one with whom the reader will certainly identify. Her totally candid views of her stultifying life on the farm, her obvious need for comfort and love, and her fears and loneliness in the Lowell mill, where she, friendless, attempts to become independent, all give warmth and power to her character. One also cannot help but respond with sympathy to the role her mother is destined to play, while understanding, too, the inevitability of Aimee's rebellion and its consequences. The story structure itself is somewhat contrived and the plot predictable, an illustration, perhaps, of the lack of choices in the lives of mid-19th century women, but this is a character story and the lack of a unique plot may be appropriate. Whether Aimee's story is approached from a psychological, historical, geographical, or feminist perspective, one will find much satisfaction on every level.

This book had me catching my breath when reading some of Graver's insights. Some descriptions of Aimee's feelings and thoughts were so close to the heart and soul of a teenage and young girl's relationship with her mother that they left me astounded. Anyone with a kinship for life in New England in the 19th century and an interest in milltowns of the NorthEast will have the countryside in New Hampshire and the factories of Lowell, Massachusetts brought completely to life. A must read and I hope Oprah finds this one! Charlotte Rabbitt, Fairview, TX

This book surely deserves more notice than it's apparently gotten. Graver nails the details of experience in a way that will make you think 'well, of course!' She has a voice much like Toni Morrison's, but even more tightly focused. Overall, a soul-bending work that will connect you with sensations and sorrows you have always somehow known, but could not articulate. A perfectly-rendered first novel.

Elizabeth Graver should be very proud, this is a beautifully written novel, she is an amazing story teller.

It is the tale of Aimee Slater, who is 14 years old in 1843, and longs for something more than her mother's life. She and her family, she has five siblings, live in rural New Hampshire. They farm. Aimee wants to go to the city to work in the textile mills. She dreams about seeing the world.

It is the story of her wish to be alone, the story of her loneliness and the story of her relationship with her mother. Her struggle to be near her mother and her longing to be separate from her.

It is the deeply moving account of a young girl's innocence, sorrow and guilt and how they shape the path of her life.

Have the tissues handy for this one.

Aimee Slater lives on a farm in New England, but she's got a modern girl's desire for a bigger life. Against her parents' wishes, Aimee goes to work in the mills of Lowell, Massachusetts. What happens between then and when we see her again in her 30s living alone in the woods with only 2 other outcasts for company forms the meat of this utterly simple and graceful story.