Sweetwater

Roxana Robinson, author of the unforgettable "This Is My Daughter," returns to the topic of broken families in "Sweetwater." Isabel Green, the book's passive-aggressive protagonist (you could hardly call her its hero) has in her mid-40s drifted into her second marriage, to Paul Simmons, after the death of her first husband; and she is now visiting her inlaws--in their summer lodge in New York State's Adirondacks area. For the first time she meets her parents-in-law, Douglas and Charlotte, and her brother-in-law Whit. Against a background of drought and the possibility of forest fires, an old family feud is played out in front of Isabel--who's exactly the wrong person to be the audience. She's one of those people who can take any bad situation and make it worse. Isabel's a mess. She works in environmental protection and has spent her entire adult life in New York, Baltimore, London, and New York again. Now she's actually seeing "the environment" for the first time; it's more than she expected. In flashbacks we learn that her first husband was bipolar and suffered from serious bouts of depression. She has an adolescent son she has no idea how to talk to (she won't discuss drugs with him because she's afraid she might learn he's taking them); and when she calls her first husband's doctor to learn how he is progressing with his latest treatments, she is curtly told he cannot discuss the case with her (implying she's the cause of his illness), and she does not even confront him. Roxana Robinson relates all this in a lean photorealist prose style. There is no excess; but she tells you everything you need to know. Her descriptive passages are so lush, you'll probably smell the fish in the water, and the smoke and ash of an oncoming forest fire. The tale unfolds in traditional novel style--no picture inserts; just one typeface; no blank pages. And while there are sections in the early chapters that might just as well come supplied with the label FORESHADOWING in Arial bold, when the events occur or issues are resolved, the resolution never happens quite the way you'd suppose. Superb.

I love the written word and enjoy many authors. I enjoy them so much that I forgive inaccuracies and suspend belief for the sake of the story. I also forgive just adequate writing because an author's characters and plot are well developed. But with Roxana Robinson's novel Sweetwater, none of that was necessary. All I had to do was settle in and devour what has become one of my all-time favorite novels. Isabel Green took a vacation from life following the death of her first husband. Then she met Paul Simmons, married him because it seemed right, and attempted to reconnect again with the world. Seven months after her marriage to Paul, he and Isabel travel to the Simmons' summer lodge in the Adirondacks. There Isabel struggles to connect with and understand her husband, his complicated parents and his brother, who appears to have a thorny relationship with Paul. Isabel's time at the lodge brings up the painful reality of her first marriage and awakens feelings that she doesn't understand - and that evoke guilt. Everything in Robinson's book is married to the environment, reflects the delicate balance between nature and the humans that inhabit the world, and speaks of the author's deep relationship with nature. Robinson's prose is fluid; her character's are complex, rich with flaws and deep emotions. The plot is compelling and unique. It is expertly constructed and the ending is both sad and satisfying at the same time. I can't wait to read Robinson's other works.

This is the second book I have read by this author. She has an astounding talent for weaving a story. One thing she can do that many people can't is description. Detailing everyday events in ordinary people's lives turns tedious and boring in the hands of many writers. With this author, reading her description is like listening to a beautiful piece of music. Her plots center around tensions between people stuck together whether they like it or not (usually family members), and build to a catastrophic crescendo. The last part of this book is lived by the reader along with the characters. She also knows her subject matter. She gave a really accurate picture of what is was like for a person suffering from a major mental health disorder, and for the person's family. She made the valid point that no matter how supportive and sympathetic others may be, they can't cure the condition. She also gets across the fact that other people's behavior, good or bad, does not cause the condition (although it may help or aggravate it). The illness is no one's fault. I also liked her discussions of environmental issues, including the argument around the family dinner table (think back on it when you have finished the book). I personally will want to get my hands on everything this author publishes.

This novel caught me by surprise. I expected the writing to be good, but it's nearly perfect. Robinson has created highly believable characters and a story line that grips from beginning to end. The persona of Isabel is beautifully wrought. The reader can worry about her, get annoyed with her, understand and love her. As for her new family: I felt as if Robinson invited me to stand in a corner of that rustic retreat and observe the action. It was a great visit.

This is a wonderful book with a subtly interwoven plot and a mystery at the heart of it. I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't like this novel. This is a very fine writer in wonderful form, and I couldn't put "Sweetwater" down even though I had many other things pressing. I'm online just to order everything else I can find by Roxana Robinson.