A Theme for Reason

As a long time fan of Elisabeth Ogilvie's writings, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to purchase a newly issued edition of one of her works. Theme for a Reason is a title I had not yet had the pleasure to read. As in all of her books, Ogilvie exhibits a genius for touching the human condition. She disguises it the everyday life of everyday people along the coast of Maine even as she explores the depths of loss and reconnection with life. The book was first published in 1970 and details date the book to that time period, however the depiction of a 36-year-old artist who plans her suicide following the death of her lover and how life refuses to let her go, timelessly resonates with the reader. Life cluthes with deep claws in the form of Karen the recalcitrant neighbor child, Jonas, another damaged soul coming to terms with his destroyed marriage and Bunny, the pregnant daughter of the dead lover. With great attention to detail of the internal and external physical landscape of an island and a woman's soul, Ogilvie takes the reader on a journey that is as priceless and timeless as life itself. I highly recommed this book as well as any other Ogilvie book you can get your hands on. Miss Oglivie passed away recently which makes each of her works all the more precious. Enjoy! I hope you find her words touch you as they have obviously touched me.

In this book, Ms. Ogilvie vividly imparts to the reader the beauty of the Maine countryside with rich imagery and detailed descriptions of the flora and fauna. She writes from experience, having spent a good portion of her life in and around Maine. Her style is part botanical, part geographical, and part philosophical, which makes for a constantly changing perspective on the fictional events which unfold in the story. The characters are believable, intelligent and complex; the situations in which they find themselves, while not wholly unique, take on intriguing facets as they develop. The main character of Alexia undergoes such a gradual metamorphosis from tragic victim to strong, capable survivor that one is hardly aware of the journey's progression until the end of the book - that's how deft Ms. Ogilvie is at carrying a storyline. I found this book to be totally engrossing, magical, and multi-layered - it made me want to travel to Maine and experience the world about which Ms. Ogilvie writes. The book is over thirty years old, but it still captures the imagination and the interest of the reader without seeming "dated." It's the perfect read for a rainy day, or any day.