The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy

The Wilderness was not a book for the faint of heart or for those whose minds work in a linear fashion. Following the friendships of four women with distinct personalities through two and a half decades of their lives, the novel is craftily and creatively written. Flournoy is a master of that style and at times leaves the reader scratching his/her head. 

The first friend to whom we are introduced is Desiree, who is accompanying her grandfather to Switzerland because he has made plans to end his life in a dignified way. They spend a couple of days in Paris before the journey to Switzerland giving him a chance to live out some dreams before his death. Desiree has a sister, Danielle, who had been kept in the dark about those plans and as a physician was not pleased at all. 

The other friends are Nakia, who has climbed the ranks to become a chef with her own restaurant, January, who spends a good deal of her life trying to find some direcion and who becomes a graphic designer with a financial backgroud. Finally, there is Monique, a librarian who has turned blogger and who preaches against book banning. There are also myriad characters who come in and out of their lives.

The book's setting goes back and forth between New York and Los Angelos and the time periods span 2002 through 2027, an interesting look into the now not too distant future. The women support each other through life-changing highs and lows, and confront the changing world sometimes successfully and other times not. Flournoy does not hide her contempt for those who are not sympathetic to the conditions in American cities, medical care, or attitude toward the LGBTQ+ community or those whose skin color is black or brown.  

 Although those themes play out through the book, the theme of friendship is the paramount one Florunoy expounds upon. The women rally around through the birth of children, award ceremonies and marital relationships. The ending is totally unexpected as Flournoy moves her novel to 2027. It was worth re-reading to understand its compelling action. 

 It was interesting to hear Angela Flournoy on 23 March 2026 when she spoke to the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures audience. Her explanation of how her brain works and how she can write a book with so many shifts in time and place, was enlightening. It does baffle one whose mind travels along a more linear route. 

Angela Flournoy

 

Angela Flournoy autographing my book

 

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

In some reviews The Dutch House has been described as a dark fairy tale. In many respects it is: an absent father, a wicked step-mother, 2 step sisters, and a brother and sister trying to survive life ala Hansel and Gretel. 

Set in the early 1950s and 1960s in Elkins Park and Jenkintown, Pennsylvania siblings Danny, the narrator, and his sister, Maeve try to cope with the sudden disappearance of their mother, Elna from their lives. They meet in their car in front of the house and reminisce about when they were residents there. 

When Elna Conroy leaves her husband Cyril in an attempt to flee the ornate excesses of their home, The Dutch House, the children are left in the care of their nanny, Fluffy. After Elna leaves, Danny spends the weekends with his father collecting the rent that is owe on the real estate that Cyril owns. In the meantime, Cyril remarries and Andrea and her two daughters, Bright and Norma move into the Dutch House. 

Danny was fifteen when Cyril dies suddenly in an accident and he is left alone with his step family because Maeve was out on her own. Andrea was not informed of this right away and took steps to ostracize her step children. All of Cyril's estate was left to her except for a trust fund targeted for Danny's education. Maeve proposes he go to medical school to use up as much of the money as possible. 

The novel as narrated by Danny shifts back and forth between the present and his memories that really impact the way he lives his life. He is beholden to Maeve for basically raising him and he despises Elna for abandoning him. His relationship with his wife, Celeste, walks a fine line as he reconciles what everyone wants him to do with his live vs. what he wants to do. He repeats his father's actions in buying homes for Celeste that she doesn't really like, much to his not understanding. 

The Dutch House is very much a character in this novel as it embodies and houses emotional and psychological realms. It is a place that Danny feels grounded and at the same time malcontent. Sitting with Maeve in front of the house gives him a sense of connection and secure. When Elna reappears in Danny's life, the house becomes a major player in his acceptance of her. The ending of the novel further cements the continuity of the house and family connection. 

Maeve develops Type I diabetes when she is a teenager. In two different sections of the book it is attributed to the fact that Elna abandoned her and the trauma of that act. It was interesting to see how Patchett handled the ups and downs of glucose levels and crises that arise from that. 

This is a very good read, especially for anyone who enjoys the interrelationships of families and coming of age. The writing is well crafted and the characters well drawn. Another Patchett recommended read.