Customer Reviews

Yonder

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Considering the attention and praise Siri Hustvedt's novels have received, I was surprised that this book was published almost invisibly a year ago. I just discovered Yonder a few weeks ago (mid-1999) and haven't found any reviews of it outside of the trades -- which is unfortunate, since I'm pretty sure that fans of her novels (as well as Auster's novels) would enjoy these essays if they knew the book existed at all. Yonder's a quick but memorable read -- Hustvedt's essays focus on the same preoccupations as her novels: the parallel worlds of language and experience; defining self and landscape through absence and presence; etc. Best are the title essay and the other personal/autobiographical essays -- the literary essays (on Dickens and Fitzgerald) are less compelling but still have some memorable parts. I enjoyed Yonder as much as I did The Blindfold, both for its clear style and its ideas. At its best, the essays in Yonder are freed from the constraints of fiction, presenting compelling ideas and resonant images in a compact, finely made form.

Initial note: 3 of the 6 pieces in this volume are already part of the 12-essay collection "A Plea for Eros", which I have previously reviewed (the duplicates are "Yonder", A Plea" and "Gatsby's Glasses.) Siri Hustvedt doesn't disappoint. In fact reading her this morning lifted my spirits, offering a much-needed respite from my life. In "Ghosts at the Table" she takes a fascinating look at the art form of still life and the role of the spectator, with particular focus on Chardin and Cotan (who she describes as occupying "the psychological poles" of still life) and Cezanne. In "Vermeer's Annunciation" we are witness to her emotional experience at a exhibition of the artist's works, with a detailed focus on the magic of "Woman with a Pearl Necklace" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring." I started reading "O.M.F. Revisited" (Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend") and became so intrigued I've decided to stop until I get a chance to read the novel first myself - hopefully very soon! I highly recommend this and the other collection to anyone who appreciates thoughtful and beautifully-written essays.