Retro Review: The Essex Serpent
/When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.
4 stars. I really, really, really enjoyed this novel. It felt like reading Dickens, with the sweeping observational statements on social issues like housing and class, except the complex characterizations didn’t make me feel like I was drowning. Perry handles excess beautifully - the extra details aren’t tedious or superfluous or grandiose. It’s the sort of language I wanted from Fates and Furies - the opposite of heavy-handed.
It’s also like Jane Austen, except Perry doesn’t critique her characters from a place of arrogance - she critiques them from a place of kindness and understanding and wisdom and forgiveness of everyone’s flaws.
I’m not sure why I docked a star, as this is a mostly glowing review. I think maybe I was a little let down by the ending.
I’m surprised this hasn’t been studied more often from a feminist angle. Here we have several multifaceted women who are capable of great good and great harm - who are self-reflective and yet at times horribly ignorant of the consequences to their actions. This is interesting, these complicated women who reflect the women I know and love in real life. They have broken out of cookie cutter form.
More on this: several months ago I sent my guy a link to Joan Didion’s essay “On Self-Respect.” His reaction? “I … don’t get it. Why would someone behave in a way they wouldn’t respect? Why would anyone choose to act in a way they’d regret?” I actually don't really know, but in my experience an individual can be self-aware and still make mistakes. I guess that's why I’m fascinated by Cora’s character - her insecurities and anxieties coupled with her overwhelming confidence (arrogance?) and independence.
I think perhaps my favorite aspect of this novel is Perry’s demonstration of the blurred lines between friendship and love. She explores the bond between a man and a woman - sometimes a man and more than one woman; sometimes a woman and more than one man. I won’t dive into my thoughts on monogamy in general (basically, monogamy is weird), but I will say that I really, really appreciated it when - upon hearing Will declare his shock at loving her despite living in an incredibly happy marriage - Cora simply said, hey, I’m not surprised, you can love more than one person.
You have enough love in you for that.
Truly one of my favorites of the year.