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The weakness of the central situation affects other aspects of the book. Much of the novel is passed on to Nathaniel’s wife Catherine. his daughter Sarah; and her son Ezekiel. However, these characters have little reaction, as the relationship between Nathaniel and Arthur is discovered early on and has little development. Catherine’s sadness manifests as an overwhelming lethargy, and she continues to sleep for many pages. Sarah hardens against her father and finally challenges her father in an attempt to lead her second resurrection in Cana (this is an awkwardly combined and underwritten plot point). Ezekiel is attracted to the woman’s clothing and stops speaking. The perspectives of Arthur’s wife Anne and daughter Martha offer a potentially complex contrast, but they do not fully capture Conley’s attention.
I understand Conley’s goal. In such a time and place, the idea of her two families growing up and twisting around the secret of queerness is promising. But the development here is cyclical and shallow. Conley conveys Katherine’s perception of her husband’s sexuality in this way: It is unknowable and impossible. She has never heard of such a thing. In reality, there are only rumors of a trial in which the dreaded word ‘sodomy’ was used. ” Later, when she confronted Nathaniel, Conley writes, She shocked him. ”
This banal flatness is typical. When Conley attempts effect, his figurative language is often confusing. “I think you can see behind every façade, there’s a secret life underneath, just waiting for someone to open the door.” Sometimes it’s ridiculous to say, “I felt like that.” And sometimes both are true. “In the relentless passage of time, sometimes we need a distraction.”
These are symptoms of larger problems with prose. Wisely, Conley says he is not trying to recreate the speeches of the 18th century Puritans. Anachronisms must be tolerated because authenticity is inherently out of reach. The problem with his dialogue is that it is undifferentiated and every character sounds the same. What cannot be forgiven is his profligate behavior, using the common phrase, “I should have thought of this sooner.” “Arthur can’t believe his good fortune.” “It’s the logical next step.” Crawling through this desert of prose, readers will discover delightful sentences, fresh images, dynamic scenes, and authentic slices of life. I pant uncontrollably, searching for a single sign.
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