No Signposts in the Sea

Though this book is no stylistic masterpiece on a par with anything by Woolf or Bowen, I think it does encapsulate what Sackville-West was all about as a writer. Though it is not her best work, it is autobiographical and contains some of her most illuminating insights on love and marriage. Some very good period poetry is included throughout the novel, which is written in the style of a diary/journal composed by the protagonist, Edmund Carr, who is dying of cancer I believe. The writer of the introduction, Victoria Glendinning, observes that there is an error in the characterization of Edmund Carr because there is no credible connection between the person he was as a controversial and influential columnist, and the person who is composing the journal. I have to disagree with her here. I think that the novel rather showcases the person that Edmund Carr has become and is becoming after learning he has only a few months to live. This "new" Edmund violently contrasts with the Edmund Carr who was the aggressive columnist unafraid to state matters plainly and realistically. Once on the journey, we see an Edmund Carr full of poetry, and in love with a woman. I think this was rather insightful of Sackville-West, and I hold it to be the mark of a great writer to know that a round character has a personality that is not static, but that can change and change quickly, no matter what the expectations. Edmund himself often comments on how he has changed, particularly when he considers the very philosophical thoughts he is entertaining while on the ship, thoughts he never entertained before. English reticence and manners do interfere with this love he is feeling for Laura. He is unable to tell her what he is going through, unable to share the burden, which would have made the story more poignant, and perhaps less painful or at least more merciful for Laura, who has to break it to Edmund that she has fallen in love with him too. Edmund had blinded himself to that possibility, although to the reader it is rather obvious. The very next day after her admission, Edmund has died and nothing else is possible. One is left feeling very awful for Laura, and rather disgusted with Edmund to keep such a thing from her, the woman he professed to love so much in the pages of the book. The novel contains some very valuable insights on love and marriage, and what these things meant to Sackville-West. It struck me that what comes through in this novel is the personality that Virginia Woolf loved so much. After reading this book, I could see why Virginia Woolf loved Vita Sackville-West. Tip: This is an excellent book to read after a romantic break-up.