Book Blog #406: Whistler by Ann Patchett

 

Title: Whistler

Author: Ann Patchett

# of Pages: 296 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again. Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

Review: A short read but not a quick read.

"We should think about doing the things we want to do while we’re able to do them"

Whistler is unsurprisingly contemplative story focused on nuanced, familial relationships between 50+ yr old characters who are tied together by something greater than just blood. I did find myself feeling a bit emotional thinking about aging and lost time, but ultimately it's more of a slice of life of characters who spend a lot of reminiscing and not much else. While there was a lot of beauty in long lost relationships being rekinded, there's just not a lot that HAPPENS in this book, which made it less of a gripping read.

Although they're quite different (in format, character development), I do see why The Correspondent dropped in an Ann Patchett mention; the vibes are somewhat similar.  Another similarity with that book (and honestly many others) is that Patchett is definitely writing in the realm of what she knows (main character always dreamed of being a novelist, multiple characters work at major publishing houses, etc). 

I liked it, but nothing really stood out to me. I kept putting this book down and thought there could be more to the story. This is my first Ann Patchett book, so maybe this slow, slice of life style is common in her books, and it's just not my ideal read. I'd recommend it only if the premise already sounds interesting to you.