Knopf | Book Chatter

The Imagined Life
By Andrew Porter
Knopf, April 2025, 288 pp.

The Short of It:

You know that feeling of gently working your way through a story because it’s just so good? No? Read this.

The Rest of It:

Steven Mills has reached a crossroads. His wife and son have left, and they may not return. Which leaves him determined to find out what happened to his own father, a brilliant, charismatic professor who disappeared in 1984 when Steve was twelve, on a wave of ignominy. ~ the publisher

Steven’s family lives in a nice, Orange County neighborhood. His parents host pool parties, movie nights and are surrounded by academia everywhere they look. Their friends, professors themselves. They talk education and research and accomplishments. This is a touchy subject.

Steven’s father is brilliant and happily married but his quest for tenure at the university puts a strain on his marriage and family. This is where I tread carefully when I say that the undue strain of jumping through academic hoops to prove his worth leads him down a path of no return.

Let me paint the picture. Warm California evenings, a cabana house, plentiful liquor and jovial conversation. Attractive, powerful colleagues and a man who wants that for himself. The casual, friendly interactions fueled by drink, slowly become something more.

Twelve-year-old Steven senses a shift as he watches these parties unfold. Observing these parties from the privacy of his room, he notices the familiarity of good friends but also the tension, mostly in how his own mother reacts to what is going on.

What is going on?

Steven is very close to his mother so when she returns to the house after these parties, he knows she is hurting. He’s not entirely sure why or what he can do for her, but he feels compelled to be there for her.

What he does, is gently explore his father’s thoughts. Walking out to join him after the guests have left. Listening to his plan to publish his book and earn tenure. As good a guy as his dad is, Steven knows that he’s a dreamer. Never has been much of a realist. He takes this with a grain of salt.

For a young boy, navigating the delicate nature of his parent’s marriage and also figuring out what he desires for himself, proves to be complicated.

We see Steven as an adult, dealing with his own personal issues but ever present is his quest to figure out what happened to his father that year he went missing. When everything blew up and his father left without a trace.

This is a tender story about so many things. Family, the relationship between a mother and a son, a father and a son, Steven’s coming of age and how all of it influences his own family as an adult. It’s about identity and value and sacrifices made for the sake of your family.

The last few chapters were breathtakingly beautiful. I re-read them, sat with them awhile and felt the weight of Steven’s memories.

So good.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Night Watch
By Jayne Anne Phillips
Knopf, 9780451493330, September2023, 304 pp.

The Short of It:

Brutal and honest.

The Rest of It:

“In 1874, in the wake of the War, erasure, trauma, and namelessness haunt civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, the adult in her family for as long as she can remember, finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in more than a year. They arrive at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, delivered to the hospital’s entrance by a war veteran who has forced himself into their world. There, far from family, a beloved neighbor, and the mountain home they knew, they try to reclaim their lives.” ~ the publisher

I am not a fan of war stories. I find them to be incredibly tedious. This book, although set during war, was a bit different in its approach. I was immediately pulled into this story. A very brutal act, takes place fairly early on and from that moment, I was riveted. As ConaLee and her mother, the non-speaking, completely lost Eliza make their way to a “hospital”, really an asylum for the mentally ill, I couldn’t help but want the best for them. But at every turn you are made to question the motives of others. Doctors, nurses, etc.

ConaLee and Eliza leave children behind. Eliza, left her son and a set of twins behind, not able to care for them. She was drained physically and mentally from the ordeal that she survived while her husband was away at war.

ConaLee, just 12 years of age is old enough to know that something terrible happened and is old enough to feel the loss of her siblings. The closeness that she has to her mother is what propels her forward. So when she is forced to play the role of Eliza’s nursemaid, she does so out of desperation so they can remain together at the hospital. In the midst of all this is their dear friend Dearbhla, who is a healer and can see the future. She continues to look out for them as they make their journey to the hospital.

What ensues is a story of survival. Eliza’s health, at first very fragile begins to show the effects of good food, quality care, and the safety that the hospital provides. ConaLee sees the change in her mother but she also notices a closeness between her mother and Dr. Story, the man who seems to be turning her life around for the better.

Old characters return from the past. Some dearly missed, and some absolutely evil. The last few chapters are delivered as a whirlwind of action. So much happens. So much is revealed. What an interesting story. And if you are wondering about the title, Night Watch is a position held at the hospital and plays a critical role in the story.

My book club chose this book for March. We meet to discuss it tonight. I think there will be plenty to discuss.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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