Some books pull you in immediately with a clear plot and a gradual development of characters with whom readers can relate. Mark Haddon’s new novel The Red House is not one of those books. Keep reading to be assured that I do in fact highly recommend it, but know from the start that this is the type of book that expects a lot from readers, challenging us to follow along a nontraditional storytelling path and requiring that we learn to relate to a large cast of characters in turn without the promise of a happily ever in the end.
In the opening paragraph, Haddon jumps right in by putting readers at one of the eight main characters’ eye level, literally, as the viewpoint she sees is described in a series of sentence fragments. One family, riding on a train toward a vacation house, is introduced first. Angela and her husband Dominic, along with their three children, will join Angela’s brother Richard and his wife and stepdaughter at a house Richard has secured for a week. The omniscient storytelling perspective alternates among the eight characters, sharing with the readers the thoughts the characters so rarely share with each other, at least not directly. Privy to these perspectives, the reader has a much deeper understanding of the cast as a whole, watching from the outside as they often misunderstand or misinterpret the true motives and feelings held by each other.
As a result, Haddon portrays some interesting relationship dynamics here. Parent/child, sibling, and marital relationships play out in various forms, and the insights shared in the inadvertent commentary that results from the storytelling format intrigued me. In one particular example, two adolescent siblings acknowledge, in different ways, how things have changed between them. In just one of many passages that moved me, a sister looks upon her older brother and remembers with fondness to when they were younger.
A couple of years back he’d been a puppy, unable to sit down for a whole meal, falling off the trampoline and using his plastered arm as a baseball bat. They’d played chase and snakes and ladders and hide-and-seek with Benjy and watched TV lying on top of one another like sleeping lions. He seemed like another species now, so unimpressed by life.”
What an apt description of an older teenaged boy, especially coming from a teenaged girl. Moments of significant self-awareness occur here and there, as characters slip in and out of memories and reflect on the experiences in the present. This cast of characters as a whole are working through a myriad of emotions that trouble and confuse them, though they each have opportunities to develop new understandings. Fiction can certainly be instructive, and one character’s realization that the memories we hold on to might only be a way that we fool ourselves into believing a revised personal history is definitely one that will stick with me.
I loved the feeling of getting into everyone’s heads, even when I had some difficulty following the quick shifts that occur between paragraphs. The children’s perspectives are given as much weight as the adults’ by this equal opportunity narrator, and everyone has an interesting story to be told. There was a real in-the-moment feel to the storytelling style, and I have to admit that sometimes things didn’t make complete sense to me, but I enjoyed the extra challenge it presented for my own experience of understanding each character.
Character-driven fiction often portrays family drama in all its potentially juicy details, and The Red House does it in an undeniably intelligent and thought-provoking manner. Mark Haddon received much acclaim after the release of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in 2003, and I’m sure people will be talking about his latest novel for a while, as well.
Do you like your fiction to challenge you, or do you prefer to simply be entertained? I’m a fan of both, and I’d love to hear your reactions to my take on this unique novel. Leave a comment to join the conversation!
Dawn loves when a book makes her take out sticky notes and a pen, and she takes any opportunity afforded her to talk about the books on which she’s taken extensive notes. When she’s not reading or talking about books, she can be found blogging away at my thoughts exactly.
Rachel says
I appreciate your review. I’ve seen several on this book, but I’ve still hesitated. Your review made it much clearer for me.
Honestly, it depends on what I am reading and the mood I am in as to whether or not I am willing to commit to a challenging book or want to be simply entertained. Currently I am reading Anna Karenina, and I feel like that one requires quite the commitment. Though well written, there are alot of characters and family members and names to maintain. My second read is something that is lighter and a bit more fun.
Dawn says
Thanks Rachel– I wasn’t sure if I was getting my point across well enough with this review, but it definitely is an interesting read, just a bit confusing until you get the “rhythm,” I guess.
I’ve never read AK, having felt too intimidated by its reputation as such a serious book. I think I prefer somewhere in the middle– not too fluffy, but not so serious that it makes me feel like I’m back in English class. 🙂
Trish says
Lots of characters and multiple points of view definitely make it harder to relax into a book, that’s for sure. I tend to avoid them but am also immensely gratified when I find one that delivers true insight.
Dawn says
You know, Trish, once I “got” it about how the book read, I was able to relax into it, but I did find that I couldn’t just pick it up for a few minutes. I needed a longer reading time to get back into it, rather than just read for a few minutes when I had a moment.