Goldengrove

By Francine Prose





There are two things that everyone experiences: birth and death. Everything in-between varies from person to person, and each event impacts us differently. In "Goldengrove," Francine Prose (what a great name for a writer!) leads the reader on a journey of grieving. From the shock to the denial to the guilt, each character in this novel experiences the death of a loved one in a varying manner. Each one of them deals with it in their own way, and each of them finds themselves in similar places when they achieve acceptance.

Margaret is a seventeen-year old beauty, living on a lake with her parents and thirteen-year old sister, Nico. While Margaret and Nico are lounging in a boat one day, in the beginning of their summer break, Margaret waves goodbye, dives off the side of the boat and disappears. Nico does not see her reach the shore but assumes she has; in fact, Margaret had a heart problem that coalesced with her dive, making the bottom of the lake her temporary grave.

Divers find her body the same day, and at first the family is in such shock, they believe they will see her walk through the door or hear her voice on the other end of a phonecall. Margaret's boyfriend, Aaron, whom the parents did not approve of, has a difficult time processing his grief, as well. He makes contact with Nico and the two of them begin secretly spending time together. They both tell themselves it is just to aid in the healing process, when in actuality, Aaron is using Nico to replace Margaret. He perversely asks Nico to wear Margaret's clothes and Margaret's scent, watch Margaret's favorite films. Since she is trying to find her own way in life as a girl with a dead sister, she lacks the ability to see what he is doing to her.

"Goldengrove" is a sad book, in that anyone can relate to the sorrow inflicted by the death of a loved one. However, it is also a book of healing. The reader will feel comfort seeing others process grief in such a real and honest manner. Francine Prose writes with such sincerity and dignity. She employs the use of extremely vivid imagery. The reader can smell the toxicity of a teenage boy's room with:

The shades were drawn, and a stew of putrid odors had been simmering in the dark: wet dog, pet food, mildewed carpet, cat spray, spilled beer, plus the various illegal substances that Aaron and his siblings had sneaked out here to try. Layered on top of the smell were all of Aaron's mom's industrial-strength attempts to kill it.

Of course, Francine Prose also sprinkles some wit and humor into the story, like tiny nuggets of gold that make the reader feel as though all the characters will turn out okay. One moment, like a flicker, that offers this hope is when Aaron and Nico are sitting on his bedraggled, old couch preparing to watch a movie. He offers a bowl of chips and a can of Coke, and Nico notes in her mind:

Greasy crumbs sprinkled everywhere as I helped myself from the bowl.

I said, "I'm making a mess."

"Don't worry about it," said Aaron. "The reason the couch has lasted so long is because we feed it."

Each moment in this novel is like a tiny morsel of goodness and flavor. When you read "Goldengrove," do not let the lugubrious beginning scare you away. The story you find inside will be one of hope and endurance.

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