Liz Dexter at Adventures in reading, running and working from home invited those interested to dive into the authorship of Anne Tyler with The Anne Tyler re-read project 2021. Two books are scheduled for February; A Slipping Down Life and The Clock Winder.
"Mrs. Pamela Emerson lives a lonely new widowhood outside of Baltimore, with only a house full of ticking clocks for company. Then she hires eccentric Elizabeth Abbott as a handyman and both discover that parts don't have to be a perfect match to work."
A story about, what we would call today, a dysfunctional family. Mrs Emerson has seven children (grownups) that she seldom sees. She dresses elegantly and is keeping up her standards, although she is getting older. She is living her somewhat elegant life in a run-down house. Elizabeth comes along and life is never the same again.
Elizabeth is a somewhat peculiar character. She stopped her studies, left home and is now roaming rather freely around to find a job. She really loves the work with Mrs Emerson, although they don't seem to get along that well. After a while she gets to know the rest of the family, which starts some unhappy events.
Elizabeth is like a magnet, everyone around here seems to be drawn to her. She becomes the support to the whole family, in different ways. One day something happens and Elizabeth leaves, which upsets the whole family. Without her, they seem to be lost.
I will not reveal the end here, if you are interested in reading the novel. I like the way Anne Tyler writes, beautiful prose, describing ordinary things in a magic way. I found this novel more complex than her earlier ones. Feelings, actions and the way Elizabeth, Mrs Emerson and her children are interacting. They all seem to have difficulties socialising among themselves.
"'We won't be needing dessert,' Mary told her. 'Now, aren't you an optimist. Have you ever known this family to make it through to the end of a meal?'
'Your mama and Elizabeth always did,' Alvareen said."
These comments describes the whole setting of the novel. I was wondering why it was called The Clock Winder. Mrs Emerson's house is full of clocks everywhere. They were a hobby of her late husband. Apart from mentioning them at the beginning of the book, they are hardly mentioned again. However, I think the title refers to Elizabeth and her capacity of keeping things going. It is her energy that transforms people around her. She makes them going.
The ending is somewhat peculiar and abrupt. I do not really know how to interpret it, but it might mean that there is no hope for this family as far as family ties are concerned.
Great review, and that's a good idea about why it's called that, as she does seem to keep the clocks wound all the way through.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think she was like a clock. She kept going and people looked for her in all situations of life. Just like you do a clock.
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