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Pam Kirst's Reviews > Angle of Repose
Angle of Repose
by
by
Wallace Stegner: Angle of Repose (1971, Penguin Books)
How much can be forgiven?
This is my second Wallace Stegner book; in Crossing to Safety (1987) he explores friendship and the balance of power in that relationship. In Angle of Repose, it's the marriage relationship that he explores.
The narrator takes us on an exploration of his grandmother's life--she, Susan Burling, was a gifted east coast artist and illustrator who unexpectedly throws in her lot with a mining engineer, Oliver Ward. His work on frontier mines in the late 1800’s takes them to desolate places in all parts of the West. He shows his devotion by preparing homes for her; she shows hers by staying, bearing children, creating a space that welcomes visitors, creating a place for talk and ideas to flow.
But they are never perfectly suited, and the inevitable comes crashing into their lives, and with it a tragedy, a loss that no one speaks of after it happens.
The couple stays together until old age--but at what cost? Are there things that just can't be forgiven?
The narrator confronts this question in his own life; we think he is not doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Written and set in 1970-ish California, the setting and tone evoke that age so well. The adults are confused and bruised by the changes they're living through; young people are flailing through uncharted shoals. It's hard going for one character here, especially; I cringe as she makes choices I'd like her to rethink. Even so, I bow to her courage in trying to create a path where none exists.
How much can be forgiven?
This is my second Wallace Stegner book; in Crossing to Safety (1987) he explores friendship and the balance of power in that relationship. In Angle of Repose, it's the marriage relationship that he explores.
The narrator takes us on an exploration of his grandmother's life--she, Susan Burling, was a gifted east coast artist and illustrator who unexpectedly throws in her lot with a mining engineer, Oliver Ward. His work on frontier mines in the late 1800’s takes them to desolate places in all parts of the West. He shows his devotion by preparing homes for her; she shows hers by staying, bearing children, creating a space that welcomes visitors, creating a place for talk and ideas to flow.
But they are never perfectly suited, and the inevitable comes crashing into their lives, and with it a tragedy, a loss that no one speaks of after it happens.
The couple stays together until old age--but at what cost? Are there things that just can't be forgiven?
The narrator confronts this question in his own life; we think he is not doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Written and set in 1970-ish California, the setting and tone evoke that age so well. The adults are confused and bruised by the changes they're living through; young people are flailing through uncharted shoals. It's hard going for one character here, especially; I cringe as she makes choices I'd like her to rethink. Even so, I bow to her courage in trying to create a path where none exists.
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Angle of Repose.
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Reading Progress
May 3, 2014
–
Started Reading
May 3, 2014
– Shelved
May 12, 2014
–
Finished Reading
