The Dressmaker. Beryl Bainbridge

I have read about a dozen of this lady's works, and this is one of the more chilling tales I have experienced. Everything about the characters is artificial bordering on unnatural. I found the cadence of the book slow, almost plodding, however taken as a complete tale the very opposite is the case.A young girl Rita described as, "wrapped in tissue paper all her life", lives with two Aunts, with frequent visits from her, "Uncle". Those that have raised her live lives so bereft of anything worth mentioning, that their nurturing of this child into a young woman cannot produce a practically educated woman, much less a confident individual who is worldly wise. When Rita decides to step out with her peers to engage with young men, the participation from the mentioned relatives ranges from too little too late, to reprehensibly cruel.The Uncle who is a butcher cannot abide blood when an assistant cuts himself. One Aunt has created a museum of her Mother's furniture and knickknacks inclusive of a severe portrait of the deceased that overlooks this memorial. While this could be called eccentric, the author elevates the obsession exponentially.Nothing is positive in this view of World War II England. Even the American Soldiers are described as having but 3 faults; they are overpaid, oversexed, and over here. Even the cat that haunts this house has a name that is unprintable here, however the moniker is consistent with commentary on Catholics, Mongrel Americans, and others ad nauseum.Ms. Bainbridge writes wonderful work that really needs to be read to the final page. She does not tip her hand, the ending is only predictable as the pages left become fewer, and only when she is ready does she deliver her sometimes-dramatic conclusion. In this event it is a bit like a hammer between the eyes.Once again, "The Dressmaker", is another a unique tale from this wonderfully diverse Author, and is well worth your time.

Beryl Bainbridge's "The Dressmaker" (a Booker Prize nominee) is a quietly haunting tale of repressed lives in war time England. A young girl living with her two aunts falls in love with an American soldier with a secret and less than honourable designs. The outcome of this one-sided love affair (conducted mainly in Rita's head) is a foregone conclusion and possibly the least important aspect of the novel. Bainbridge's interest lies in the exploration of small town provincial lives. Aunt Nellie's obsession with family heirlooms and being the faithful custodian of her late mother's furniture and other treasures is both touching and sad. Sad, because these objects have become a substitute for living. Aunt Margo - the younger widowed aunt - inhabits the novel's moral centre. Taut and crackling with repressed desire and emotion, she deeply resents the family pressure that forced her to give up a second chance at conjugal bliss. Her feelings towards Rita's doomed affair with Ira are certainly ambivalent. She acts out of genuine concern for Rita but there is a strong element of sexual envy as well. Bainbridge's writing is confident and authentic. Clearly, she understands the lives she's writing about. Readers may find the going slow. For that reason, it will not appeal to all, but for its genre (reminds me a little of Penelope Fitzgerald's "The Bookshop"), "The Dressmaker" is a triump and a worthy read.

Bainbridge is a master at depicting claustrophobic family situations (and in later work historical settings). The young woman at the center of this book has some sense of her limited oportunities and is blinded to the true nature of her romantic interest: he's a pig. Her Aunts realize this fact (though to one of them he apparently has some appeal) and it all works out quite strangely. A simple story with just a few characters but Bainbridge's psychologically penetrating descriptions and dialogue make this a memorable book. If you enjoy it, read A QUIET LIFE which is equally claustrophobic and intense.