Edie is a beautiful woman and that beauty is used to define her. People draw conclusions about her because of
her looks. Roy, for instance, constantly
makes comments about Edie’s appearance to her; he mentions her hair, her
clothes, and her body, even though the comments make her uncomfortable and she
tells him so. Edie tells Roy that he
sees only what he wants to see or what he wants her to be: “’It’s
not me. It’s some idea of me’” because “’you turned
me into this, this ideal.’”
Edie’s hometown is Gladstone, Montana, and growing up in a small town
means people formed an opinion of her that never changes: “’I mean, all of us, are someone else in the
eyes of others. And for all I know, maybe
that other is as true, as real, as the person we believe we are. But the thing is, when you’re back home, you
never have a chance to be someone other than who you were then. Even if you never were that person.’”
For the longest time, Edie’s life is defined by the demands of others,
especially men. She tries to get Dean to
move away from Gladstone but he refuses.
Dean never seems to consult his wife for her opinion, as his brother points
out: “’But you never talked any of this
over with her, did you? . . . You never asked her what she wants, did you?’” Edie’s marriage to Gary puts her in another
trap where her movements are controlled by her husband. She constantly has to compromise because her
wishes never seem to take precedence.
Even being a mother seems to mean not being able to be herself; Edie
tells a friend, “’I don’t believe Jennifer ever forgave me for wanting to be
anything besides her mother.’”
Edie is a dynamic character who eventually finds independence and contentment. In the last section, she lives alone but is
happy: “’I’ve learned how to live alone
in an apartment . . . I have my routines.
And I like my apartment.’” She
learns to speak up for herself; she tells one man, who keeps walking by her
workplace so he can get her attention, “’you need to find yourself a different
street to walk up and down.’” She won’t
even let a man stay on the couch for protection: “’If you don’t leave, I might get used to
having you here – needing you here –
to feel safe. No, I have to get through
the night without you here. If I don’t I’ll
feel like I can’t make it without you here.’”
Edie also learns that it’s not always possible to keep others from making
mistakes. Jennifer wants to return to a
man who cheated on her even though Edie tells her, “’If Patrick cheated on you
once, he’ll do it again. Cheaters cheat.’” Lauren is involved with Billy, but they can
go nowhere without Jesse. From experience,
Edie knows that there will inevitably be problems when a couple is actually a
threesome, but will she be able to rescue her granddaughter from repeating Edie’s
mistakes?
From the beginning, there is a feeling that things could go terribly
wrong, that violence could occur at any time because of male ego and guns. Roy’s encounter with the Bauer brothers and
the road trip Dean proposes to Bentrock create suspense, especially because
guns are present. Guns again come to the
forefront in the third section.
I found it interesting that a male author chose to focus his novel on a
woman and her conflicts, including men’s misperceptions of women. Many writers would not dare, but his
portrayal is very realistic. I found
Edie a relatable character in whom I could see some of myself. Watson’s thanks to his wife, “my inspiration
and my test case for all things Edie,” are undoubtedly deserved.
The book is written in Watson’s typical understated style with prose
that can only be called restrained. He writes like an Impressionist painter, focusing the reader’s
attention on gestures and actions and letting him/her figure out the
significance. This style may not appeal
to all readers, but it works in suggesting that Edie can be known - if proper (not
superficial) attention is paid to her.
Note: I received a digital
galley from the publisher via NetGalley.
The book will be released on July 21.
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