Review of LEAVING by Roxana Robinson (New Release)

 4.5 Stars

This novel, an insightful and powerful examination of a conflict between honour and passion, asks what we owe both others and ourselves. 

Forty years after their breakup in college, a chance meeting brings together Warren Jennings and Sarah Watson.  Sarah, a museum curator, is a mother and grandmother who has been divorced for almost two decades.  Warren, a successful architect, has been married to Janet for 34 years, and they have one daughter, 24-year-old Katrina.  The two rekindle their relationship even though Sarah lives near New York and Warren lives in Boston.  Warren admits to not being completely happy in his marriage; though Janet “has given him everything she has.  It’s not enough.”  When he tells her he wants a divorce, Janet resists and then Katrina threatens to totally cut him out of her life.  Both Warren and Sarah must decide what they are willing and not willing to leave behind for true love. 

The book raises so many questions.  Is it morally acceptable to leave a marriage in order to pursue personal happiness or should personal happiness be sacrificed for the greater good, to protect “family, order, duty, honor”?  What responsibilities does a parent have for grown children who are living independently?  How does a parent maintain a connection with grown children?  Should adult children have the power to emotionally control their parents?  What do we owe ourselves and others when our choices have consequences, both for ourselves and others?

Point of view is particularly effective.  The reader is given both Sarah and Warren’s perspectives.  Because we are given their thoughts and feelings, we get to know them intimately.  We experience their joys and sorrows and understand their motivations.  We might not agree with their decisions, but we can follow their thought processes. 

My feelings about the characters did not remain static.  This speaks to the complexity of the characters:  good but flawed people.  Warren, for instance, had my sympathy as he sees his future as a life sentence of “the torture of false intimacy” or life without his daughter, yet I also felt anger because he sometimes seems so weak in his encounters with Katrina.  His choice at the end, not removing his backpack, tells a lot about his character.  I wanted to shout at the young Sarah for being so quick to jump to conclusions about Warren.  Why didn’t she speak to him openly about her concerns?  But of course “She’d known nothing about choosing a husband.”  At times she tries to minimize her role in breaking up Warren’s marriage.  On the other hand, her efforts to connect to Meg and Jeff are so sincere.  The one person whom I consistently did not like is Katrina who just seems selfish, emotionally immature, manipulative, and implacably judgmental. 

The ending is perfect.  Given the discussions of operas and tragedies, it is predictable, but given what has gone before and Warren’s character, it is entirely appropriate.  I would love a sequel focusing on the three women and their thoughts/reactions to Warren’s choice at the end.  Would they question what happened and re-evaluate their actions?  Would Sarah, if she suspected what happened, see Warren’s action as breaking the social contract “to see this through to the end”? 

I highly recommend this book which has so much depth.  It is so well-written:  I loved the allusions to literature, art and the opera which work so well in developing theme.   It is such an honest and authentic portrayal of marriage and family relationships.  The novel would be an excellent choice for book clubs because it is so thought-provoking.  Readers will certainly have strong feelings about who behaved honourably and who let passion rule and broke moral codes.

Note:  I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.