Think of England

Alice Elliott Dark's first novel was certainly worth waiting for and a worthy follower of the book of short stories IN THE GLOAMING that received such critical acclaim a few years ago. Jane, a youngster when her beloved father has an accident and is killed, grows up believing she is responsible for his death. This misconception follows her into adulthood and colors her entire life and is what much of the novel is about.Ms. Dark is very good with dialogue and verbal fencing. When the uoung man from England Nigel tells her he is gay and asks if she's bothered with learning that, the conversation goes like this:"'Of Course not. My uncle is gay,' she offered, and immediately regretted it. 'I'm sorry.That was stupid.''Quite all right. My sister's a girl, if that makes you feel any better.'"Dark delves into the complexity and difficulty of family relationships that sound all too familiar to many of us. Once again she writes about lost opportunities and living with the consequences.Oh, the title for this novel comes from wedding-night advice for Victorian brides: "Just close your eyes and think of England."

Humorous, devastating, and completely satisfying, 'Think of England' tells a story that bridges a generation gap in its characters and readers alike. It's obvious that Dark is most comfortable in writing the shorter form, for her book reads like 3 short stories. That is, until the subtle conclusion ties each section together brilliantly. As I closed the book, I realized that I had no questions. Every element of the story had been perfectly uncovered - each wound, each joke, each character. Unlike most novels I read, I had no doubts...that is a rare occasion, and I urge you to read this book.

Ms. Dark sends us on a literary journey that leaves us breathless, thanks to gasps of recognition, sadness, hope, and delight. It's amazing how she can summon up the voice of an 8-year-old girl, Jane, and allow us to see the world through her eyes. We are then allowed to follow this old soul through her twenties and into her forties as she makes acquaintances, lovers, friends, decisions, and realizations that resonated with me and all of those to whom I've lent the book.I laughed, I cried, I could dance to it. Honestly. It's a true coming of age story. And if you haven't gone through a few Kleenex before its ending...get out of my house and never darken my sheets again.

In 1964 Wynnemoor, Pennsylvania, nine-year-old Jane MacLeod escapes from her unhappily married parents by writing about happy families coming together. However, on the night the Beatles appear on TV, her mother unable to stand the way her surgeon husband constantly deserts her to care for his patients, takes the children and leaves. Jane blames herself because she informed her father the phone was off the hook, something her mother did to keep the hospital from calling.Now in her mid twenties, Jane is visiting London, heeding the advice of her grandmother to always THINK OF ENGLAND when depressed. She makes friends there, but feels guilt from what she caused to her family. Jane remains disconnected and still yearning for a happy family.Thirty-six, Jane is a single mother of nine-year old Emily. At her mother's sixty-fifth birthday bash, Jane and her mother discuss that fateful day for the first time since it happened. Jane begins to finally come to grips with the underlying cause of why she lives s life filled with guilt. Perhaps now she can heal and shower the love of a happy family on her child? THINK OF ENGLAND is at his best when Jane takes center stage, as she is a wonderfully complex character. When the story line places her in a back seat (during the middle years), the tale loses focus spinning in a different direction. However, the plot rights itself for the final segment. Alice Elliot Dart's tale is a well written character study that is intended for those who want to know the answer to is that all there is?Harriet Klausner

This book is similar to Ian McEwan's "Atonement" in several respects: Both take place in sections over three different years in the course of a lifetime; both focus on a female protagonist with writerly ambitions who comes to terms with tragic events; and the bulk of both take place in England, though Dark's characters are mainly Americans. McEwan uses obfuscation and trickery, which ultimately renders his story false. Dark 's novel, in contrast, is bracingly honest, yielding far deeper and more resonant insights. Concise, beautifully written, and emotionally poignant, this quiet, wise book deserves a large, McEwan-size audience and regard.