Ann Patchett
Whistler by Ann Patchett is the story of Daphne Fuller, a high school English teacher, and her favorite step-father, Eddie Triplett. Daphne is in her mid-fifties. She was nine-years-old when she last saw or heard anything about Eddie who mysteriously disappeared from her life after their car accident. She blamed herself for Eddie’s divorce from her mother.
The novel opens with Daphne and her husband at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her husband observes an elderly man following them. The man is Eddie Triplett. Although years have elapsed since he last saw Daphne, he recognizes her because of the resemblance to her mother. Daphne and Eddie reconnect and catch up on the news of the intervening years. Daphne finally learns the reason for Eddie’s disappearance from their lives.
Flashbacks from the past, including the car accident, are inserted in the present. What emerges from the narrative is the unshakeable connection between Daphne and Eddie, a mutual bond infused with an unconditional love and a respect that transcends time. They are able to pick up exactly where they left off more than four decades ago. Eddie then reconnects with Daphne’s sister and her mother, all of whom care deeply for one another.
One of the themes of the novel is how childhood memories impact our lives, and how they are reframed when we look at them through an adult’s lens. Daphne is able to contextualize Eddie’s disappearance from their lives when the cause is finally revealed—something she would probably not have been able to do as a child. Also, as an adult, she bonds with her natural father, treating him with the compassion and understanding that had been absent during her childhood. Additionally, she garners a greater respect for her mother for thriving in spite of the struggles and challenges she has had to face.
The title of the novel comes from a story about Whistler, a horse. He represents the transformative impact story-telling has on our lives and how stories can provide comfort even in the darkest of times. References to Whistler’s story appear intermittently throughout as a recurring thread connecting the past with the present.
This is a feel-good novel about the enduring power of love and the different forms it can take. The writing is beautiful, but a problematic issue may lie in the portrayal of characters. They are affluent, privileged, supportive of one another, well-adjusted, and so very, very good. Too much so, in fact. Their forgiving, tolerant, loving, considerate, and kind nature contribute to the warm, comfort food feel of the novel, but it may be stretching plausibility a stitch too far. Perhaps it’s all a little too pat, a little too good, a little too facile. Even their choice of names conveniently gives much away: Daphne Fuller whose cup of happiness is full to the brim; and Eddie Triplett as one of the three men who married Daphne’s mother. Tension exists but not between the characters. Tension is due to the inexorable march of time and our powerlessness to arrest it.
An enjoyable read with some reservations.