A Thousand Acres (Jane Smiley) and Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald) can be classified under the category of sexual abuse stories. Though this is reducing each to a simplistic definition it is the most descriptive heading for them. The (shocking) turning point of each book is the sexual abuse that occurred by the father with his daughters.
A Thousand Acres begins when the three daughters are grown up. The family patriarch is a horrible tyrant and not too surprisingly it turns out he molested his daughters when they were young. However, the youngest daughter was not molested which makes for yet more drama. What I enjoyed about this novel was that the point of view was that of the middle sister, Ginny, who sounded both genuine and provided excellent narration. For example,
"Ty and I didn't pursue our conversation, didn't thrash out what it was I had learned or what it meant. I acted more decisive and made rules. I sensed that Ty disapproved, but it was a touchy subject, and I was afraid to talk about it because I hated friction with Ty. It was easy to discount his unvoiced opinion, too." (pg. 155)
By giving Ginny a voice and letting her describe the events from her point of view our understanding of the situation is shaped by what she says and doesn't say. The reader may guess about what is happening, but since we only have her narration, and no one's reality is exactly right on, the plot is more interesting. Smiley got the narrative point of view right.
Fall on Your Knees is set in an even harsher time and place - Cape Breton Island at the turn of the last century. It is a multigenerational saga focusing on James and Materia and their daughters. What makes the book somewhat interesting is that Materia's family is Lebanese. Why anyone accustomed to Lebanese weather would live in such a cold place is a mystery. This detail adds some realism to the book, as fact is often stranger than fiction. One wonders whether the book is based on real people from the historical record. If so, the rest of the story is sad. The father James is abusive of his wife, and his three daughters. Unlike A Thousand Acres the narration of the story switches between the many different characters. This allows for a much more nuanced understanding of the story, not to mention the longer historical period encompassed. However, this also makes the story seem to be less personal, and more historical. One never quite escapes from the historical detail as one can in A Thousand Acres. An example of this narration, "Mahmoud never wants to see Materia or her husband or her children or any evidence of them ever again. The only communication he's had with the Piper family for the past nineteen years has been the business arrangement with James, and they've both done well out of that while never once coming face to face. But that's over now." (pg. 159)
MacDonald's approach is, as illustrated by this excerpt, less personal. It makes for less interesting reading and the surprise ending is more surprising since information was withheld, rather than the reader having a narrator with a limited point of view. This method allows for wider scope though.
Both of these books showcase dysfunctional family dynamics. The relationships between family members are unhealthy and abusive. The sisters in both books are mean and cruel to each other over the course of their lives. Due to isolation and powerlessness they have no one else to be cruel and mean to. Would I read these books again? Probably not.
A Thousand Acres begins when the three daughters are grown up. The family patriarch is a horrible tyrant and not too surprisingly it turns out he molested his daughters when they were young. However, the youngest daughter was not molested which makes for yet more drama. What I enjoyed about this novel was that the point of view was that of the middle sister, Ginny, who sounded both genuine and provided excellent narration. For example,
"Ty and I didn't pursue our conversation, didn't thrash out what it was I had learned or what it meant. I acted more decisive and made rules. I sensed that Ty disapproved, but it was a touchy subject, and I was afraid to talk about it because I hated friction with Ty. It was easy to discount his unvoiced opinion, too." (pg. 155)
By giving Ginny a voice and letting her describe the events from her point of view our understanding of the situation is shaped by what she says and doesn't say. The reader may guess about what is happening, but since we only have her narration, and no one's reality is exactly right on, the plot is more interesting. Smiley got the narrative point of view right.
Fall on Your Knees is set in an even harsher time and place - Cape Breton Island at the turn of the last century. It is a multigenerational saga focusing on James and Materia and their daughters. What makes the book somewhat interesting is that Materia's family is Lebanese. Why anyone accustomed to Lebanese weather would live in such a cold place is a mystery. This detail adds some realism to the book, as fact is often stranger than fiction. One wonders whether the book is based on real people from the historical record. If so, the rest of the story is sad. The father James is abusive of his wife, and his three daughters. Unlike A Thousand Acres the narration of the story switches between the many different characters. This allows for a much more nuanced understanding of the story, not to mention the longer historical period encompassed. However, this also makes the story seem to be less personal, and more historical. One never quite escapes from the historical detail as one can in A Thousand Acres. An example of this narration, "Mahmoud never wants to see Materia or her husband or her children or any evidence of them ever again. The only communication he's had with the Piper family for the past nineteen years has been the business arrangement with James, and they've both done well out of that while never once coming face to face. But that's over now." (pg. 159)
MacDonald's approach is, as illustrated by this excerpt, less personal. It makes for less interesting reading and the surprise ending is more surprising since information was withheld, rather than the reader having a narrator with a limited point of view. This method allows for wider scope though.
Both of these books showcase dysfunctional family dynamics. The relationships between family members are unhealthy and abusive. The sisters in both books are mean and cruel to each other over the course of their lives. Due to isolation and powerlessness they have no one else to be cruel and mean to. Would I read these books again? Probably not.
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