Jane Hamilton has been blessed or cursed—take your pick—by not one but two bolts of Oprah’s lightning. Having her novels The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World chosen for the distaff Midas’ book club elevated Hamilton to the rarefied ranks of best-selling literary authors and guaranteed her books ample display space in stores until the end of her days. You’d think such success might stifle a writer, or at the very least make her cautious. Yet Hamilton keeps producing novels of disturbing domestic complexity, loaded with echoes from classic literature. When Madeline Was Young is a family saga that spans six decades and revolves around a brain-damaged woman who is living with her ex-husband, his new wife, and the couple’s children. With its gothic undertones, wide-ranging themes, and moral concerns, Madeline appears certain to provide hearty new fodder for book clubbers everywhere.
Leave a Reply