In the Garden of the Fugitives
Review of novel by Ceridwen Dovey
This novel consists of two interwoven narratives, told in letters, like an 18th century novel.
One story focuses on Kitty, an aspiring archaeologist, working in the ruins of Pompeii. The accepted approach to that work is to seek connections with the past, to make the past feel like the present. She, in contrast, seeks to understand the differences, to reconstruct an alien idea of what is “normal.” I found that perspective intriguing and that story compelling.
“There, you see, we can fill in each other’s gaps and somewhere between us may lie the truth of ourselves.” p. 10
“It was a messy process, she said, but nothing could beat the feeling of getting to peek at another culture in all its mysterious workings, to glimpse … the huge cloudy meanings behind the daily face of things.” p. 96
“This links to Kitty’s interest in letting the past remain peculiar, rather than forcing it to become relatable. She thought it right that people of ancient times seem fathomless to us… To her, those artifacts were more like pieces of alien matter dropped from outer space. p. 149
The other story is told by Vita, an aspiring documentary filmmaker, someone whose background e seems to echo the author’s experience — born in South Africa, moved to Australia by parent, college at Harvard. She is trying to figure out how to portray life interestingly and honestly through film, whether artistic or ethnographic, whether to include people or just animals and objects, focusing on processes She is also trying to cope with white guilt in post-apartheid South Africa, like Germans dealing with their post-WWII guilt.
The two stories are entangled and each involves romance and surprises. It’s a quick and enjoyable read that leaves you lots to ponder.
