Possession by A.S. Byatt
Possession is an exhilarating novel of wit and romance, at once an intellectual mystery and triumphant love story. It is the tale of a pair of young scholars researching the lives of two Victorian poets. As they uncover their letters, journals, and poems, and track their movements from London to Yorkshire—from spiritualist séances to the fairy-haunted far west of Brittany—what emerges is an extraordinary counterpoint of passions and ideas.
My Review:
“They took to silence. They touched each other without comment and without progression. A hand on a hand, a clothed arm, resting on an arm. An ankle overlapping an ankle, as they sat on a beach, and not removed. One night they fell asleep, side by side... He slept curled against her back, a dark comma against her pale elegant phrase.”
A.S. Byatt’s magnum opus is a tantalizing ode to both art and romantic love, without being too obvious about either one -- it’s lushly written, with exquisite characters, great poetry and interweavings of legend and myth. It’s almost the opposite of typical romance, almost chastely erotic, mysterious and dripping over with what simmers under Victorian repression.
A young scholar, Roland, stumbles accidentally on an old letter from acclaimed poet Randolph Ash. He soon has reason to believe that the letter was to Christabel La Monte, a lesser-known “fairy” poet — except Ash was happily married, and La Monte was single all her life. Roland and the cool fellow scholar Maud investigate caches of hidden letters, poems, and diaries by the lovers, wife, friends, and relatives.
In the past, the cordial letters of Christabel and Randolph blossomed into love and passion. They vanished for a short, blissful time together. But what happened to Christabel and Randolph’s love? And how do these events somehow involve Roland and Maude’s growing attachment?
When words are hidden or read, it can change perceptions, attitudes and even lives. Byatt’s own words are wonderfully lush, dreamy and vivid — given the rather formal language and writing, it almost seems like a nineteenth-century novel, as if Byatt got so swept up in the characters she started writing like them.
Byatt has an excellent eye for the language of the era, crafting letters, poetry, and fiction that have a very authentic feel. Byatt even manages to change the style for different people’s writing . The only problem is when the book veers into long tangents; Byatt seems to get a little off-track at times. But most of the time, the richness of Breton folklore adds depth and mystery to an already beautiful novel.
Byatt gives us an amazing look at the ill-fated lovers, Christabel and Randolph; you can feel their passion and love. They aren’t just attracted to each other but drawn together in the mind and spirit. The supporting characters, such as the artist Blanche and devoted, wistful Ellen Ash, are equally well-drawn; you can’t dislike any of them. Roland and Maud seem a little anemic by comparison, but they are still compelling characters, caught up in a love affair from over a hundred years ago.
“Possession” is the genuine heart-wrenching romance that you see little of — meetings of minds, pure passion and love. It’s a beautiful thing, and something to be deeply treasured.
My Rating:
✬✬✬✬✬
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