Happenstance: Two Novels in One about a Marriage in Transition

After 20 years of living together, Brenda and Jack Bowman have perfected the careful balance of being intimate, friendly and supportive while at the same time being complete strangers to one another. The current edition of "Happenstance" is printed with the two novels back-to-back. They were originally published as separate pieces in the early 1980s -- Brenda's story as "A Fairly Conventional Woman," and Jack's story as "Happenstance." Read the summary elsewhere on this page - I won't repeat what's already been said over and over again. What makes "Happenstance" particularly unique and enjoyable is Shield's use of language and experimental style of narrative, more so in Brenda's story than Jack's. This may be because Shields grew as a writer (Brenda's story was published two years afterwards) or she was more familiar with her character (as she had already envisioned Brenda when creating Jack's work), but Shields' style of writing is heavily reflected in Brenda's internal presence much more so than in Jack's, in which Shields writes more straight-forward narrative. For example (no spoilers here, don't worry), the first night of Brenda's conference, Shields writes the entirety of the interactions between Brenda and her fellow quilt makers in dialogue, minus dialogue tags most of the time, which is initially confusing. Shields does the same thing when Brenda meets Barry, a married metallurgist with whom Brenda makes an intimate connection, by taking out the dialogue tags when they talk to each other. In the first case, the lack of tags brings about the frenzied feel of a crowded atmosphere, in which one remembers bits and pieces of what people say but never the people themselves. In the second, the flow of dialogue brings about a sense of unity - it doesn't matter whether Brenda or Barry is speaking because of how fluidly their thoughts interweave. Shields uses language flawlessly, and it's important to note that she isn't just forgetting to note who said what - she writes (and omits) everything with a purpose. Shields even makes quilt making interesting: one lecturer discusses quilting in terms of sexuality. Another woman uses each one of her quilts to tell a story, and Brenda's conversation with her is yet another step in Brenda's road to self-discovery. This book is anything but an average, sentimental couple story. Shields injects power into tiny moments, bundling them together to create a sincere portrait of a marriage and - as another reviewer has said - leaves you with a sense that you've truly gained something by reading it.

In a court of law, the judge and/or the jury listens to the plaintiff and the defendant before making a decision. It is important to listen to both sides of a story to get the real picture of what is going on. Nowhere is this more true that when it comes to man-woman relations. I love books that have unusual formats. This one immediately caught my eye. I read Brenda's story first, then Jack's. Amazingly enough, after 20 years living together, they are still somewhat strangers to each other, yet they have a fine marriage, with harmony, peace, fulfilling sex, the works. Brenda goes away for one week to a quilters' convention and both she and Jack are presented with itchy temptation. The most entertaining point of the novel for me is their feelings towards the other's creativity. In her absence, Jack meditates about Brenda's quilts and her determination, and feels rather jealous about it. In his absence, Brenda thinks about Jack's book and his writer's block, and feels rather irritated about his sloth. The array of miscellaneous characters are interesting, although some are extremely annoying (the convention organizers, for example). Not a bad novel by an excellent author, who nevertheless has created better works.

A story about a short period in a long marriage, Carol Shield's tackles the interior monologues of both husband and wife with a unique style - half the story is the wife's take and the other half the husband's.It's all those things you think about your partner, but don't say because you truly want to stay together. The "oh, he's doing that again, how embarrassing" sort of interior monologue, but with some nice introspection on the part of each character. Some slightly funny bits, but more in line with the absurd things that happen in a real life. All in all, an absorbing read.

I'm surprised at the way the Kirkus review above mischaracterizes this wonderful novel. I read the husband's half of the story first, since Shields wrote that one first. The author does a masterful job of not repeating herself at all, amazing considering she's covering the same basic period of time as experienced by two halves of a single marriage (though the wife is away for several days at a conference -- an event that is a delight to read about if you've ever been to a conference yourself). Shields handles the everyday, tiny moments of a family's life with such searing poignancy that I had to stop reading every so often and reflect -- and that is, to me, the sign of a very good piece of literature. I love the way she uses the wife's quilting to explore the creative process (and her writer's block segment, when the husband fiddles away his 'free' day, is priceless and oh-so-true). The marriage feels real, the feelings of the mother for her teen children are absolutely genuine in their crushing intensity and occasional ambivalence, and the resolution of the book is the kind I like best: not neat, not melodramatic, not resolved once and for all, yet leaving you with a sense that you've shared a life and gained something permanent from the experience. Subtle, funny, and though it was first published in the early 80s, this unusual double novel is universal in its themes. Susan K. Perry, Ph.D., author of WRITING IN FLOW