Finished The Mermaid Chair

I finished The Mermaid Chair in what was record time, even for me. The story was satisfying in its culmination - very appropriate and ironic in the character twists; the various psyches were well deliniated and the clues were all there, well-placed and well-paced throughout.

But what really got me was the prose. What magnificent language, what great story-telling. It was - it was what a book should be. I could see it so clearly in my head. South Carolina was well rendered and the paintings were described with such clarity that it is still as if I am looking at them in my mind right now. The women were described with their own quirks but they were real people.

To tell more, to get into an analysis of what happens and of the way the book is constructed is really what I want to do here - but I don't want to give away the story by doing so. Perhaps later. So many threads to trace - so many colors used to effect. Oh, it is a rich book.

threads to trace:
diving
use of green in its different colors/different parts of the story
character/clothing and apparel evolution
nervousness
discussion of psychological habits or tendencies as reflected in the character actions
Hugh's role as psych and as husband
limits of psychology
the wildlife
religion versus (or tied to) mythology
belief
release/desire to be released from pain or beliefs
growth
size/type of art (including the chair itself)
trips to/from island
role of water/food
role of ceremony
art and intuition and religion versus science and medicine and psychology and fact
fact verus the stories people tell
male/female, mother/daughter, father/daughter relationships
motive/intention and resultant event (cause & effect)
physical versus mental and how that ties to religious belief and myth
perception



"I did not fall from grace, I dove."