Review: Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple
We all have seen the storyline of 'nanny seduces husband and wrecks a happy family' played out numerous times either in movies, books, or gossip magazines. As a nanny myself, I find the whole storyline hysterical and outlandish because, for one thing, how do you find the time or have the energy after watching the kids? Overall the logistics of it all sounds stressful. Anyways I typically stay away from this storyline when selecting a book, but the book I choose this month Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple what at first I deemed a 'light-read' took me by surprise. Someone at a Distance is the last novel Whipple wrote and is the first novel by her that I have read. Whipple is presently experiencing a renaissance due to the bookshop Persephone in London republishing a majority of her novels, which happened to be the place I found the book.
The story follows the life of the Norths, who live on the outskirts of London and the life of Louise, who decided to leave France and take a job in England as a companion. The book opens with Louise, and as it goes on, the narrator changes between her, the wife Ellen, and the husband, Avery. Whipple develops the characters so well within their chapters that you begin to understand what they are feeling and what are their motivations for doing an action.
Louise decided to flee her small village in France after being snubbed by her lover, who decided to marry another woman, and her overbearing parents, which I found to be a harsh opinion of them as they did nothing but try to please her. She found an advertisement in the paper looking for a french speaking companion for an old lady who lived in England, and after applying for the job, she got it. The old lady turned out to be the mother of the husband, Avery.
Ellen and Avery are a happily married couple who enjoy their lives very much. The two have been married a long time, do acts of service for each other, and have two teenagers they dote on. They are the couple you would say 'if these two ever split up, I will never believe in love again.' When Louise comes to stay with Avery's mother, neither of them care for her too much as she can be quite rude. The only one to like Louise is the mother as she loves the attention that Louise gives her. After sometime Louise decides to go back to France, mostly because Avery is showing no signs of being interested in her. Later, Louise returns to England as the mother dies and leaves her a substantial inheritance; this is when the drama begins as Louise has no intention of leaving.
The affair that occurs between Avery and Louise is a background detail as the character traits and relationship between Louise and Ellen are the masterpiece of this novel. Both women are models for what 'feminity' is in the society they live in (post World War II), and I would argue even to the present day. However, Louise and Ellen are modeling complete opposite attributes of femininity to each other, which is the most brilliant part of the author's writing.
Louise is younger than Ellen and cares a great more deal about her physical appearance. She has elaborate skincare regimes, does not leave her bedroom until she dresses for the day, and only wears fashionable clothing. Her past times include chain-smoking, observing everyone, and never helping out with any chores as she expects to be waited on hand and foot. Louise is the paradigm of public femininity through her appearance.
Ellen is usually spotted in men's clothing of pants, loose shirts, and muddy boots. She falls back on her natural beauty as she does not have a skincare regime, nor does she dress up every day. Her pastimes include gardening hence the clothes, being outside to take care of the grounds or her daughters' horse, visiting ladies at the nursing home, tidying up the house, and loving her family. Ellen is the paradigm of private femininity through role as mother and wife.
Neither Ellen or Louise share the same characteristics, as Louise does not participate in doing 'women's work,' and Ellen does not care about her appearance. Still, if you were to put the two together, you would have the patriarchal standard of a 'the perfect woman.' I believe Whipple developed these two characters in this way to make a statement to the fact that no matter how a wife acts, her husband may decide to leave still and how easy it is for a man to run off and leave his wife behind. When Avery left Ellen, he drove off, had no legal consequences, and traveled to France and New York with Louise. The only consequence for Avery was his excessive self-pitting as his character began to transform into a depressive alcoholic who regretted his actions. On the other hand, Ellen prospered. She would not accept money from Avery nor the house, and she went on to find a working situation where she and the children and the horse were happy.
The ending of the novel leaves Ellen sad after an encounter with Avery, where she finds out how unhappy he is, but she finds courage in knowing that even though he loves her still, she can not be with him. The last two pages are a beautiful self-reflection on what her marriage meant to her and what her life will be moving forward. I like that Whipple ended with Ellen's character as she had the most significant transformation from housewife to an independent woman and single mother. This might be one of the rare novels written at this time where the wife did not beg her husband to come back or accept an allowance in place of the husband being physically present. I love that this book ended on a silver-lining for Ellen and a harsh reality for Avery and Louise.
I look forward to reading more of Whipple's works to see if her unique insight into characters, both male and female, translates to her other novels. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a classic book that is a fast read, has a storyline that is both inciting, and possesses a deeper meaning.