A Friend from England by Anita Brookner

At BMV Books on Bloor Street in Toronto, the shelf that houses copies of Brookner's books usually overflows with them.  It's a combination of copies being sold on once they've served their purpose for nearby university students, and remainders.  Quite often, if my tote isn't too heavy, I'll choose one to add to my collection.  Brookner has never quite sparked an obsession for me, the way Elizabeth Bowen or Virginia Woolf did, but A Friend from England has changed all that.  It`s a brilliant read!

Rachel is in her early thirties, part-owner of a bookshop in Notting Hill, and lives in a flat above the shop.  Oscar Livingstone looks over the books for Rachel, just as he used to do for her father.  Rachel`s family is largely in the past, so it is Oscar and his wife Dorrie that she connects with in terms of responsibility and commitment.  Brookner draws the most incredible scene of a middle-aged couple, recently come into money, with down-to-earth sensibilities living in Wimbledon and surrounded with the gawdy trappings of the noveau riche of what feels like the 60s or 70s.

`I thought of listless Saturday afternoons, when I pictured Oscar relaxing in one of the turquoise silk-covered bergères, with footstools to match.  I thought of Dorrie taking a nap in her shell-pink bedroom with the extravagant expanses of white shag-pile carpet.`

As an independent woman, seemingly wise in the way of the world, Oscar and Dorrie see Rachel as the perfect friend for their daughter, Heather.  The Livingstones are concerned that Heather is far too quiet, a character trait that could impinge on their plan to see their daughter married and mother to their grandchildren.

Just as I was being lulled into a lovely domestic setting, chock full of the niceties with peripheral clucking aunts, a darker picture of Rachel emerged.  My first clue should have been the first-person narrative.  Another penny dropped when Rachel mentioned her `women friends` several times in passing but we never find out their names or any details of their interactions.  Indeed, I was left wondering if these people even existed in Rachel`s mysterious world with its deficit of meaningful contact with others.

There`s more than meets the eye where Heather Livingstone is concerned.  She does meet someone she consents to marry but it all happens in the blink of an eye.  It`s obvious that something doesn`t seem quite right.  Rachel sees a look on Oscar`s face, every now and then, that reflects her niggling fear.  And then Dorrie needs surgery for a lump on her ear.  Now surgery is never a laughing matter but despite everyone`s concern I was astounded by the menu....Duck a l`orange and Sole Parisiennes.  A private clinic, no doubt.

In a situation where firm lines are drawn about who is family, and who is not, Rachel is on the outside looking in.  Not that this necessarily stops her from ingratiating herself.  The relentless way in which Rachel corners Heather to impart her theory regarding certain pitfalls is disconcerting.  There were times when I felt that Rachel made a valid point, she just didn`t know when to stop. 
What could be driving her?  Is it envy, an off the scale moral compass, something darker or something sad? 

A Friend from England would make an excellent book club read.  Peeling back the layers of Rachel`s personality, examining Heather`s relationship with her parents, Rachel, and the men in her life, as well as Brookner`s depiction of married versus single women would easily fill an evening.  And if you`re a fan of feeling slightly unsettled within the safe confines of a good story, this is the book for you!  I loved it.

Lucien Freud`s portrait of his daughter, Bella.

1981