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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"There is a corner of the soul where the shadows dwell.", October 28, 2003
This review is from: Walking into the Night: A Novel (Hardcover)
Christian Benediktsson, the seriously flawed main character of this novel, has been the butler to William Randolph Hearst for sixteen years when the novel opens at Hearst's "castle" in San Simeon in 1937. Conscientious and dedicated to his job, Christian tells us in the opening pages that he is haunted by ghosts of the past--both of Klara, his lover, and of his wife Elizabeth, with whom he has four children. He abandoned all of them, years ago, to seek a new life. As Olafsson depicts Christian's early life in Iceland and his escape from it, he simultaneously portrays the glittery life of William Randolph Hearst and, peripherally, his relationship with the omnipresent actress Marion Davies. The reader quickly sees innumerable parallels between the lives of Christian and Hearst, both in their love affairs and in their financial affairs, the differences being those of scale. Both hope to create new personal worlds in San Simeon. Olafsson shows through the symbolism and nature imagery which permeate the book, however, that this desire runs counter to nature, and he implies that no matter how much control Hearst may try to exert over the outside world as he builds his castle, that he will be unable to overcome the natural desolation of its gravelly soil and dry creek beds.
Christian's life, too, is closely linked with nature. He abhors the confinement of Hearst's zoo animals and once rescued and released a mouse from inside the house. He is particularly sensitive to birds, and the bird imagery which fills the book is associated with old memories and freedom. Yet despite his apparent romantic empathy with the birds, Christian cannot overcome his personal nature and his inborn selfishness. When he wants to draw a hawk, he tells us "I shot it yesterday. It had been making a nuisance of itself." The symbolism and the parallels that exist between Christian, Hearst, and nature sometimes feel a bit forced, as if the author is molding his plot so that the parallels with nature will work, and some readers will reject the romantic concept that nature takes a direct interest in man. Other readers may be disappointed by the dominant theme that man is incapable of changing his nature. Still, the story of Christian Benediktsson is fascinating, the nature imagery vividly imagined, and the tie-in with William Randolph Hearst both effective and appropriate to the thematic development. Mary Whipple
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
IT MAKES YOU WONDER......GREAT BOOK, January 5, 2004
This review is from: Walking into the Night: A Novel (Hardcover)
"Such a long time ago," he repeated to himself in the quiet of the evening and chose to leave it all at that, rather than acknowledge how many years it had been. He gripped the balcony rail with both hands, leaned forward then, straightened up and went inside. The pale moon had risen above the ragged mountains." Which man would abandon his lovely wife and four children in Iceland to travel to America without a cold shoulder or quarrel?
And which man having left his homeland will start a new affair with an American-Swede actress, treat her shoddily for no real reason except for the fact that he didn't give a hang about anyone but himself? That person is none other than Christian Benediktsson, the main character of this novel. After leaving his family in Iceland, Christian Benediktsson becomes involved in a tragic affair in New York with Klara an actress. As the relationship comes to an end, Christian's funds begin to dwindle, forcing him to take on small jobs, waiting tables and whatever else. He is waiting tables at a big hotel when he is noted by William Randolph Hearst for his competence and attentiveness. He offers him a job which he readily accepts leaving New York for California to become butler to Hearst and Marion Davis, his good friend. He enjoys his years working at San Simeon, the massive and lavish estate in California where Hearst entertains celebrities and politicians regularly. He is Hearst's second man and in charge of all activities at San Simeon, however large or small. Nothing can happen without Christain's involvement and he is well respected in the circles that flaunt this wealthy dwelling place. But Christian has his moments too, and it is only when settled at San Simeon that he becomes haunted by his past life. Everything he sees or hears draws him back to Iceland. He entertains us with his thoughts as he writes letters to his wife Elisabet; letters that never leave; letters that never reach the far-a-way destination. Mr. Olafsson has written a clear and captivating novel proving that however far one runs when the things of life get uncomfortable, when the crunch comes, there is nowhere to hide. At least not for very long. Highly recommended!!!
Heather Marshall 4/1/04
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"He that cometh after me, is preferred before me.", March 8, 2004
This review is from: Walking into the Night: A Novel (Hardcover)
Love, memory and the ties that inevitably bind family together are at the heart of the gorgeous and emotionally charged book by Olaf Olafsson. This is an absolutely beautifully imagined story, with such skillfully wrought characters that you won't be able to put it down - I read it in one sitting. The tale centers on the disaffected and reclusive Christian Benediktsson who for nearly two decades has led a quiet life as William Randolph Hearst's butler. His silent days are filled with the demands of Hearst, who is a "stickler for rules and order' and the rituals of running a grand and wealthy estate. Christian helps organize and conduct the lavish rounds of parties with mostly guests from Hollywood, the friends of the actress Marion Davies - Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Chaplin. However, Christian, in letters he writes late at night in his room, reveals another life. He recalls his rewarding and gentle life in the town of Eyrarbakki, Iceland, married to Elisabet, his adoring wife with his four children, and his ultimate abandonment of them. For Christian, plagued and troubled by restlessness is lured away to New York, where he embarks on a clandestine and reckless affair with a young chorus girl, which ruins him and changes his life forever. Christian admits that he's a born traveler and secretly thrilled at the prospect of being able to "leave his past behind." He has wanderlust and an "eternal longing to be free", but this freedom comes at a price. Walking into the Night is about the secrets we hold, the guilt that we struggle with, and the lengths that one can go to hide from the past. Christian's profound retreat from life that has led him to Hearst's San Simeon has cost him much, and no one really knows the secret of the man he once was. Olafsson packs this book with shear literary beauty. In a short, sharp, yet emotionally dense style the author, at once, beguiles us with the descriptions of Hearst's incredible wealth - his statues, castles, paintings, and swords, "a labyrinth" of prosperity built expressly for Christian to lose himself in. The prose is stunningly atmospheric, from the moon "laying a long strip of light across the mirror like ocean", to the remarkable fragrance of wood smoke, and the "pungent smell of pine." As Christian's past life gradually unfolds, he describes his surroundings in a kind of beautiful and magical dreamscape with "veils of fog unfurling from the sea", and the shore and the meadows which seem "gray with rime in the early morning light." Walking into the Night is a fascinating and mesmerizing novel, full of history, emotion, drama, and of course, melancholy. Michael
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