The Ecliptic

Excellent! A crossover between a mystery and historical fiction, an exploration of the the all-consuming nature of artistic work, The Ecliptic was an easy sell, a seemingly perfect fit to my personal tastes. The novel explores the power of imagination and the mind, the boundary between the real and the illusory, the mysteries of identity, and the relationship between madness and creativity.

The story begins on a private island, named Portmantle, a retreat for troubled artists. I was immediately taken in by the mysterious setting and found it wonderfully atmospheric. I also loved the musings on inspiration, the artistic process, and the descriptions of paintings throughout, among other kinds of art, which I feel can be tricky to handle in fiction.

A lengthy flashback composes the core of the book, and, if I had one complaint, it's that this part of the novel felt like too much of a digression. While at times as engrossing as the Portmantle portion of the novel, it also seemed as if Wood was taking an absurdly long time to get all the way back to the heart of the book, to Portmantle. Its length makes a lot more sense after reading the conclusion, but I do think it was a little self-indulgent, not uncommon in fiction that explores the self-critical and desperate nature of an artist character, but a little tedious at times all the same. If you feel the same reading this part of the novel, I guess your overall opinion on The Ecliptic will depend on whether you think the pay-off was worth it, which I certainly did.

Sidenote, to those who have yet to read this, be careful when reading the reviews on Goodreads, because I've noticed a few seem to give the ending away, without spoiler tags, which I'd be annoyed about if I'd read them before finishing! I'd actually pretty much guessed the book's conclusion before it was revealed, because I think Wood leaves enough clues along the way. I can see how the ending divides opinion, but I personally really loved it and think it perfectly intertwines the novels' themes with its intricate, strange, but intimate atmosphere.

To those who have read this before, the one question I am left with: how much of Elsepth's story was of her own making, a fantasy? Clearly, Portmantle was, but what about her reunion with Jim? I don't believe she ever saw him again after his disappearance.