Best Behaviour, by Matthew J. Metzger

[Ulysses]

Best Behaviour
By Matthew J. Metzger
Pride Publishing, UK, 2019
Five stars

“It’s just like homework. You can’t just tell her the answer. She has to figure it out for herself and she needs you to tell her she’s doing a great job.”

I always start out one of Matthew Metzger’s novels with a shiver of anxiety. I know I’ll be entering into new territory, and I worry that somehow I’ll fail, that I won’t live up to the trust the author has in me as a reader.

“Best Behavior” was particularly worrying at first, because Jim Love, the central player in this family drama, is kind of a jerk. I did not like him and wasn’t sure how I was going to grow to like him. I really should have just had faith in Metzger and his story-telling ability. I should have known he had a plan.

Out on the street again due to a series of misfortunes for which he fully accepts the blame, Jim Love has no recourse but to call his sister Sarah and seek shelter with her and her disapproving parish priest husband in their suburban mansion. Sarah, you see, gave up her rebellion and became a good citizen. Four years older than Jim, Sarah is a lot like her little brother, but for the choices she made in her life.

Then Jim meets Francesantonio Carr, the tow-headed, elegantly-dressed music tutor for his sister’s older children. In Carr, Jim finds a man who has faced similar troubles in his life, but has made different choices, leading him to a life that, if not luxurious, allows him contentment and pride in his work. More importantly, Fran Carr sees Jim Love without judgment. He accepts who he is and likes what he sees. For Jim, this is the critical difference.

Together, Jim and Fran make a discovery that presents an enormous challenge. Handling that challenge correctly will make all the difference in a child’s life.

Metzger’s books, at least for me, are always educational, and I’m sure that’s his intention. The thing is, they are not obviously didactic. Metzger is a subtle teacher, helping the reader open his heart and mind so very tenderly that the ultimate embrace of greater truths feels inevitable. At the end of the story, you find yourself having somehow changed – grown – along the way.