Generosity and thin slices of turkey
Tulip Chowdhury cheers a work that touches the heart
23 November 2007, 18:00 PM
In A Good Light
Clare Chambers
Arrow Books
Clare Chambers' story telling gift has the novelistic richness of a seasoned master. The author's book In a Good Light is like a breath of fresh air for the reader. The story is told with a delightful simplicity that leads the reader on like a journey on a beautiful spring day. One does not feel like putting the book down even for a short spell, the reading is addictive. And yet the accelerating plot and twists are more than just clever surprises.
The book is a story about Christian, Esther and their parents. It is also about Donovan who enters the family as a guest. "You never get over a happy childhood, what you need is a little disappointment." It is Donovan who says that because he cannot understand what life will be without the disappointments that have dotted his own childhood. Donovan is the ten-year old boy Esther Fairchild's family has taken in because his mother is too sick to take care of her own self. Esther and Christian have grown up on the border of Kent where the London suburb trickles into the green belt. Esther's family comprises her parents and her brother Christian. The family lives on paychecks and yet has the heart to take in Donovan when it finds him starving in his trailer home.
Esther's mother is always busy doing something for the less fortunate. A wonderful touch of generosity for a family that mostly has bread and cheese for dinner or lunch, a family that cherishes thin slices of turkey on its plates on Christmas. Esther's mother is sanctimonious with the upbringing of her children. They learn to expect the least from the parents. For instance, when Christian goes to boarding school he takes his grandpa's underpants. When his classmates laugh at him his mother tells him to bear with it for they cannot buy new ones at that moment. The little money they have, she reasons, can buy something for the less fortunate. Christian's mother believes in the theory of giving to others and for the members of the family to do for themselves with as little as possible. While she deprives her own child she is at the same time knitting away something for the less fortunate.
The story of the Fairchild family is told with a straightforwardness that makes reading sheer delight. Yet the tales are touching. The relationship between the siblings and the parents are beautifully drawn. The mother is there, the measuring stick for the children, while the father offers the space to breathe. For instance, Christian does not get pocket money from his parents but Donovan gets money from his father, who is separated from his mother. Here Donovan says, "I would rather have my dad at home and not the money." Christian listens, awe-struck. He is too young to understand the complexity of the adult world. It is a family story told with deep insight into the characters. The story is passionate, witty and unpretentious and so believable that long after each episode the reader is left to savour the moments spent with the book. There is Donovan's mother, Aunt Barbara, who lives in a world of her own. But she has the kindest heart and reaches out to people who need her help. At such times she seems to come out of a shell that keeps her closed from the outside world. The story is an elegant window into how people can get overwhelmed by the everyday pros and cons of life and yet look for the means of rescuing each other, if only the will is there.
Esther and Christian both grow up. Esther's life is listless within the strict guidance of her mother until Penny, Christian's girlfriend, enters her life. Thanks to Penny, her bourgeois aspirations raise her from her usual torpor. Penny takes her to her first ever beauty parlour for a haircut at the age of fourteen. Before that her overall appearance has been androgynous. The book takes a new turn as Esther steps into womanhood. New doors open to a new, secret world that women share. Penny comes into Esther's life as a friend and mentor. Esther learns the ways of the big, unknown world outside her home.
Donovan is well provided by his father with the necessities of life. He remembers the kindness he received in his childhood from the Fairchild family. He continues to keep his links. He does not forget to shower Esther with gifts or rather the things she needs and cannot buy herself. Christian marches through his growing years in turbulent relationships with young women of his age. Everything seems to be pointing to a light at the end of a tunnel until tragedy strikes and leaves Christian bound to his wheel chair.
That is all a flashback of the past story. The story begins when Esther recognises a face in the crowd. It brings back her past, memories of her childhood flooding back. An incident that shatters their lives and leaves Christian bound to the wheelchair has Esther's life turn another corner. The face in the crowd jolts back to memories of her early years. The story, though family-oriented, holds your heart captive from the first page to the last. The pictures drawn of people in their life's struggles break your heart and shake all your senses awake. The writer has created an unforgettable cast of characters. The story shows that life is an unending search for love, family and acceptance.
Tulip Chowdhury is a teacher and writes fiction.
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