The Dutch House

A good writer doesn't need explosions or stabbings or scary monsters to tell a story. A good writer can take a poor family and an old mansion and make a mesmerizing tale of love and loss, of misunderstanding, of struggle and gain, of searching and finding. A good writer can create the family and the mansion and put them together and see what happens. A good writer can take simple things and make a story of great complexity and emotion. Ann Patchett is a good writer.

The Dutch House is the story of the Conroy family and their relationships over time with each other and with the mansion, the Dutch House. People do as people do. People give others surprises and the surprises are not what the others want. People leave and offer no explanations for their disappearances. People meet and come together for what appears to be random and unexplainable reasons. In short, The Dutch House is the story of the lives of a few people, unremarkable lives, perhaps, but also lives of depth and fascination.

(Oh, and the fact that I listened to this story as an audiobook read by the great Tom Hanks did nothing but add bonus points to my rating of the novel.)

I was entranced by this story of a boy and his sister, abandoned by their mother, orphaned by the loss of their father, put out in the world, with the strength of having each other to rely on, with the eventual and inevitable weakness of having only each other to rely on.

This didn't turn out to be a story that captivated me. I think I kept on out of curiosity more than anything. Although there are a number of elements in the story I identify with, I found I didn't connect with any of the characters. I imagine that is due to looking at life through a different lens.

Patchett's writing is fantastic. I would not have made it through the book otherwise. She has a narrative that has a natural, easy flow. I can easily imagine this story being told by someone over a number of conversations. I had hoped for some kind of redemption in the end for someone. It seems the house is the only character that finds redemption. I never invested in the house, personally, and so I more easily identify with those who tried to engage with those who were fascinated with the inanimate and ignorant of the living sharing the space.

I really enjoyed this book. Patchett is great at writing interesting characters that come to life. That was the strength of this book. There is some plot, but that is really only the mechanism that draws us into the inner workings of the main characters and the Dutch House. I didn't think this book was quite as good as Bel Canto, but I would still highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a solid literary fiction read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel.

Well written. But not a story that sticks. Too artificial. No real solution either.

All I can say is that I Love This Book. The language is so lyrical, the characters charming whether likable or not, and it has a continuously surprising plot line. I just finished it three minutes ago, and for some inexplicable reason. I was in tears the last few pages. My inclination is to turn back to page one and do it again, because Ann Patchett has outdone herself this time.

This novel was incredibly sad to me.
The character and plot development was excellent. I did not rate higher, due to Patchett providing too much detail - at times, which slowed down the story pacing.