Marsh Light - Kate Hatfield
This novel describes the lives of Helena, a thirty-something antique restorer and her family. We see the needlessly antagonistic relationship between her father and stepmother and the other intense emotions of loved ones as they interrelate.
Helena and her almost pathetic (but ultimately understandable) neuroses are the focal point of the novel. Helena rarely "forays out of her shell" but wants to be fair and kind to all around her. As the book progresses she faces a number of dilemmas and in sorting these out only causes herself more anguish. At the final turn of the page she manages to banish her fears forever, turning to her ever supporting boyfriend Mike.
Mike is a man who should be the role model for any self respecting gentleman. He is clever, sensitive and fully able to tread the tightrope between his own or Helena’s frustration. Reflections of important personal attributes, such as this, into the reader’s own life are what makes this novel so deep and disturbing. At every emotional turn the reader can see reflections of the relationships they themselves have, ripped bare.
Other people who revolve around Helena include the previously mentioned parents, trapped in a marriage of habitual hatred and the much loved younger brother, whose arrest both confirms one of Helena’s fears and seeds others. There is the estranged mother who tries to get to know the family as the book progresses and the old flame who has to be tolerated.
In this work Kate Hatfield weaves a complex emotional web. There are ups and downs within the well written and gripping story, but it continually feels as if there is a deeper importance. This can be uncovered from some of the quotes; "Just don’t brood or loose what’s left of your courage"..."They were very into their emotions, without explaining anything"..."Blaming yourself does no good". All good sentiments or warnings for the reader heed and take into life.
Half way through this book I had a feeling that there was something crucial behind the novel and rushed to finish it. Kate Hatfield’s work is a well balanced read which should be perused by anyone who claims to take literature seriously. In reading it be prepared to discover something about your own family life. Hotlip
