Review of The Painter by Peter Heller

The Painter by Peter Heller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*Moderate spoiler alert* I enjoyed this book very much. It's the story of a powerful man evolving out of the destructive grief following his daughter's death. It's well written, lush, with unbelievably great descriptions of settings. As I write this review, the story is provocative in retrospect. There are soaring positives and aggravating negatives.

Positives: Great narrative voice, reminded me of Kent Haruf's, but edgier. The descriptions of the landscape and settings, of the art of fishing and the art of art, the richly drawn characters, and the non-tedious weaving in of backstory enticed me. Heller's way of portraying the characters is spare but rich.

There's a plot twist that sets the story on a new path at about the 25% mark, and it was here that my high opinion of the main character, Jim Stegner, began to falter. At the time, his actions seemed gratuitous, but it's the pivot for the plot, and does a good job with that.

I very much enjoyed the descriptions of fly-fishing and painting, how an artist works and sees things. Made me want to go to a gallery and see what happens. However, much of Stegner's internal monologue as he reflects on his work (e.g. "Crow and Horse" was engaging but went on too long) could sometimes be as perplexing and open to interpretation as an abstract painting. Which is pretty cool, but also somewhat exhausting. To do this book justice, you'd need to hash it out with friends over a couple days.

There are some really good things going on with this novel. Stegner had such compassion for his victims, even though they were monsters. And he's self-immolating with guilt, which will need resolution. The twists and turns of the plot are original and compelling. Lastly, everybody seems to know he's guilty, and he almost wants to turn himself in to end the perverse circus his illegal actions have created (the value of his art goes through the roof and he becomes even a bigger celebrity). I was intrigued, sensing his character arc would involve coming to grips with his violent narcissism.

Negatives:
What was at first a charming affectation - the plainspoken use of the word "Well" as a complete sentence - became overused and tedious. Also, the device of ending a sentence before it's complete. Let me show you what I. Well. Both began to take me out of the story to wonder why Heller did it.

And why, of all the surnames he could have given the main character, did Heller choose Stegner? Was he trying to put us in mind of Wallace Stegner, the great author who also wrote about that locale and in a similar style? Again, it took me out of the story to wonder about Heller's intentions.

I was underwhelmed with Heller's use of women characters. Of the main three, one is dead. The other two are in the story to heal and inspire Stegner, largely with their sexuality. I guess I should have seen it coming. Stegner is a man's man. In an early description, he thinks:

"Now as I drive by, Bob looks up from the tire he is changing, waves. Sometimes I think that's all you need. A good man with a fishing tip, a wave. A woman once in a while. Some work to do that might mean something. A truck that runs..."

"A woman once in a while?" Why not just use your hand?

Revealing: After a devastating party, Stegner escapes to a stream on the way home to fish all night (he always carries his gear with him), leaving his still-dressed-to-the-nines model/muse/girlfriend to sleep in his truck like a faithful hound.

Maybe a guy would enjoy this character more. He's very masculine. Clutching a lit cheroot in his teeth during a back-country car chase? Very early Clint Eastwood.

Stegner's self-indulgent personality was, for me, the weak point of this story. I should have been moved by the extremely well-crafted ending, but I didn't care enough about Jim Stegner to feel the emotion the author intended. (I was more moved by Jason, his judge.) It's not fatal; there's enough in this good story to make it well worth the read anyway. In fact, just the lushness of his descriptions made me slow down and sink into them. Like a painting that arrests you unexpectedly, that makes you feel you can smell the sage and feel the late afternoon sun in your face, his descriptions are art. And much like abstract art, my interpretation of this work is my own individual reaction. Yours may vary.






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