The Fates Will Find Their Way
Hannah Pittard
February 2011
256 pages
Published by Ecco
********************
IndieBound description:
Sixteen-year-old Nora Lindell is missing. And the neighborhood boys she’s left behind are caught forever in the heady current of her absence.
As the days and years pile up, the mystery of her disappearance grows kaleidoscopically. A collection of rumors, divergent suspicions, and tantalizing what-ifs, Nora Lindell’s story is a shadowy projection of teenage lust, friendship, reverence, and regret, captured magically in the disembodied plural voice of the boys who still long for her.
Told in haunting, percussive prose, Hannah Pittard’s beautifully crafted novel tracks the emotional progress of the sister Nora left behind, the other families in their leafy suburban enclave, and the individual fates of the boys in her thrall. Far more eager to imagine Nora’s fate than to scrutinize their own, the boys sleepwalk into an adulthood of jobs, marriages, families, homes, and daughters of their own, all the while pining for a girl–and a life–that no longer exists, except in the imagination.
A masterful literary debut that shines a light into the dream-filled space between childhood and all that follows, The Fates Will Find Their Way is a story about the stories we tell ourselves–of who we once were and may someday become.
Annoyance the first:
The omniscient (although only to a certain extent) narrator telling the story with a collective voice. As in “We did not care for the point of view in which this novel was written. It bugged us.” I like to know who my narrator is. I get that it’s supposed to be all of the boys, with all of their wondering, but I just couldn’t get it to work for me.
Annoyance the second:
All of the suppositions about what happened. I get that the guys were wondering what happened to Nora, and the whole premise is that we don’t know, but still…I feel like I experienced the multiple lives of Nora. Also, I felt like it carried over to Nora’s little sister. Why so mysterious about her life and kids? With all of the gossip, you can’t tell me someone didn’t know. Like Danny, who if he was part of the narrator, should’ve been coughing up a few details.
Annoyance the third:
Go re-read that third paragraph in the description. I didn’t get any sense of progress…and there was pining for girls (and women) other than Nora.
Annoyance the fourth:
All of the kids. Call me sheltered, or charmed, or innocent, but my teenage years were not filled with parties and drinking and sex and drugs. Or private school and pool parties, for that matter. So there was no relating to, and no liking, and honestly, not much interest in their lives.
I know, I know. I kinda bashed a book yesterday, too. I don’t know what’s up, but I haven’t found much to gush about lately, except for The Handmaid’s Tale, which wasn’t exactly roses and kittens, and therefore is kind of awkward to gush about. But I do know that plenty of other people have loved this book, and I also can appreciate what Pittard was going for…it just touched on a number of things that I personally don’t like.
Sandy really loved this book, and gave me her copy, and I am not quite sure how I will feel about it. In theory, it should work for me, but I can’t help but feel that some of the points you made might sway me too. I am just going to have to dive in and find out!
zibilee´s last [type] ..Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward — 272 pgs
Very well then. When I reread the third paragraph (because you told me to), I had to check if my definition of percussive was what was intended and then I decided that ‘percussive prose’ might not be my cup of tea anyway.
Care´s last [type] ..The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine
I am excited to read this one but I have a feeling that the narrator issue is going to irritate me. Thanks for the warning!
Stephanie´s last [type] ..Mailbox Monday PLUS some Birthday Loot!
I don’t really have anything to say about this book. I don’t think I’d read it anyway. But I just wanted to tell you that I also had a run of books that irritated me. You are not alone. We got to turn this thing around.
Chrisbookarama´s last [type] ..Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather Lynn Rigaud: Review
Meh, I wouldn’t worry about your lackluster response to this one since I pretty much felt the same way. It was weird to me that these boys would be so obsessed with Nora so many years later, and I didn’t exactly feel the narrative voice was authentically male either. This is a book I found easy to read, but didn’t like it all that much… in fact, it’s what convinced me to take an Indiespensible break!
Steph´s last [type] ..“Just my Type: A book About Fonts” by Simon Garfield
Ack! Knife in the heart! I so loved this book. See, to me, it completely reminded me of high school. Every last bit of it. The voice was so like the boys in our class, and the stories about all the stupid crap they did rang a bell with me. I loved how they would imagine all these grandiose stories about what happened to Nora, wanting to believe the best, when really she was most likely dead in the woods. To me it was so like what people would do. I’m bummed you didn’t like this, but you aren’t the only one.
Sandy´s last [type] ..Not So Wordless Wednesday: Norway #9
I’m glad to hear I am not the only one less-than impressed with this novel.
Suzanne´s last [type] ..Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
I have had a copy of this since it came out, patiently waiting while I waffle back and forth about whether it’s actually my sort of book. I’m coming to think that no, it is not, and I should probably let my copy go. Too many other good ones calling my name.
Erin´s last [type] ..Looking Back: August 2011
I agree with you completely! This book so did not work for me. Glad to hear I’m not the only one.
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When this book was pitched to me there was nothing about it that appealed to me. Looks like I was right for once. Phew!
Amused´s last [type] ..My Own Personal Read-a-Thon: It’s Started!
My high school days weren’t filled with parties, drinking, sex and drugs, but it seems that a lot of people do. I’m on the fence about this book.
bermudaonion (Kathy)´s last [type] ..Wondrous Words Wednesday
Okay I also did not love this book, and I felt like I was just missing something or I was incredibly dense (which may also still be true, but whatever). I’m so happy to see that you didn’t love it and neither did many of the commenters. YAY VALIDATION.
You put it much better than I did! There were a lot of things I didn’t care for, and in the end, I wish I knew what really happened.
Aths´s last [type] ..Irma Voth by Miriam Toews
This almost sounds annoying in the way that I found The Virgin Suicides to be annoying.
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I donated my copy of this one UNREAD, so it sounds like I did not miss much. You kinda confirmed what I suspected. Sorry it did not work for you.
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Ewwwww to the narration. That’s creepy. And not in a good way.
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I haven’t read this one but have been interested in it. I’m sorry you didn’t like it. But I enjoyed reading this review. Your comments and the layout made me LOL!
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I was curious about this one, but don’t own a copy. Maybe I’ll leave it to the fates and see if a copy finds it way to me.
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Um no thanks. Appreciate the warning
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