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Both mythic and naturalistic, Patchett’s story of children expelled from the mansion of their childhood by an evil stepmother showcases her great skill
The house in Ann Patchett’s eighth novel is the last word in desirable real estate. “Seen from certain vantage points of distance, it appeared to float several inches above the hill it sat on. The panes of glass that surrounded the glass front doors were as big as storefront windows and held in place by wrought-iron vines. The windows both took in the sun and reflected it back against the wide lawn.”
The sun-drenched Dutch House – so named not for its architecture but for the nationality of its original owners, the Van Hoebeeks – is in every sense a hot property. Built in boomtime 1920s Philadelphia, it boasts Delft mantels and marble floors, a ballroom and a dining room with a gilt ceiling “more in keeping with Versailles than Eastern Pennsylvania”. Crammed with silk chairs, tapestry ottomans, Chinese lamps and oil paintings, it is, as one of the characters observes, “a piece of art” and, like a piece of art, it ignites extreme reactions in the people who come into contact with it. Continue reading...