Book Review: Not-so-desperate
By Emma Trotter
Keeping the House. Baker, Ellen - 24.95; Publisher: Random; ISBN: 781400066353
I
can’t deny that Ellen Baker’s debut novel “Keeping the House” may appear
long and baffling if you judge it by page numbers alone. Even for us
Stanford students, it can be daunting to tackle a book with over 500 pages
during summer vacation — unless it’s Harry Potter, of course. But I
encourage you to curb that instinct and take a crack at “Keeping the House”
this summer. I promise you’ll be able to finish it well before the release
of the conclusion to Harry’s story on July 21st. Baker relates the story of Dolly Magnuson, a 1950s housewife stuck in a suffocating marriage to an older soldier whom she set her heart on when she was only 12-years-old. In order to escape her unhappiness, Dolly gradually begins to neglect her household chores and focuses on fixing up the grandest house in all of Pine Rapids, Wisconsin: an abandoned mansion which once belonged to the prosperous Mickelson family. The architecture and personality of the stately house fascinate Dolly; she fantasizes that living there with her husband, would heal their broken bond and give her a sense of belonging in the tight-knit community. The plotline alternates between Dolly’s narrative and tales of the Mickelsons, which Baker reveals part by flashback and part by the wagging tongues of the gossipy ladies in Dolly’s quilting club.
The story revolves around the difficult choices that many women often encounter, but don’t let that deter you. I remember thinking to myself about two thirds of the way through the book that I could get lost in the lives of the characters forever. The story has its fair share of romantic entanglements, family betrayals and all sorts of intriguing twists and turns. Sparks really fly when Dolly meets one of the Mickelsons in person, and he confides in her more than it seems her husband ever will. Not only is the plot fascinating, but Baker’s use of language captivated me as well. Maybe IHUM is finally getting to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the delightful metaphors appearing throughout Baker’s prose. For example, she once referred to music as “billowing” from a pianist’s fingers.
Give “Keeping the House” a try this summer. It’s a fun and fast read, and maybe, like Dolly, you can use it to escape the realities of your own life for a while.