WHISTLER

WHISTLER by Ann Patchett

YELLOW LIGHT WITH HEAVY CAUTION

AGE: ADULT

When your friend says that she just read a book, and she really wants someone to talk to about it, you go out for tea (I'm not a coffee drinker), go to the bookstore and buy the book, and read it in two days so you can discuss it with her. Hence, how I ended up with Whistler.

Now, before I really dive into this book review, I need to state something. This book is not really about a horse. In my friend's case, she was expecting the story to revolve around something "horse-ish," and that's not the main focus of this story. However, there is a pivotal part of the book where a horse shows up in a story told that becomes a bit of a metaphor for the main situation happening.

Daphne Fuller is a middle aged woman enjoying the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her significantly older husband, when her husband notices an older man staring continually at Daphne. A little bit alarmed at the situation, but not completely put off by it because for some strange reason Daphne tends to attract older men, they move to a different section of the museum only to be followed. They move again and are followed again. Finally, Daphne's husband, Jonathan, approaches the older man and speaks to him only to find out that many years ago he was Daphne's stepfather, Eddie, for one very significant year of her life, and then disappeared without an explanation. They haven't seen each other in a very long time which is why she fails to recognize him. This book ultimately is the story of Daphne and Eddie reuniting and understanding what happened many years ago that caused Eddie to leave.

SPOILER ALERT- Eddie's leaving has to do with circumstances that surround a car accident involving him and Daphne at a raspberry farm one night. We find out that Eddie and Daphne's mom rescue each other out of difficult life circumstances - Daphne's father left, so her mother is by herself raising two daughters (Daphne has a sister), and Eddie is gay. After having a relationship with his roommate at Yale for the entirety of their college time, Eddie and his roommate make an agreement that once college is over, they will both marry and have a traditional family. Eddie's partner does this right away. Eddie does not. Rebounding, Daphne's mother finds out that Eddie is gay and says she will marry him if he exits the gay lifestyle. He agrees to this and is able to for a while. The night of the accident, however, sends everything in a tailspin when his partner shows up at the hospital, and Daphne's mother walks in on them in a lover's embrace. She divorces him and moves on to someone else. Daphne is never accepted fully into the life of her next stepfather. He and her mother eventually have two sons and she finds herself on the fringe of the new family. The whole situation leaves an unanswered hole in her life until Eddie follows her around at the museum, they are reunited, and the "why" questions are finally answered.

Where does the horse show up? The horse shows up in a story that Eddie tells Daphne as they wait to be found while trapped in their car after the crash. It is freezing outside, and they both run the risk of dying. Whistler, the horse. was very faithful to its owner, and ends up saving her In a round about way that would take a lot of explaining, Whistler takes on a loose metaphorical representation of Daphne who ends up saving Eddie in more than one way.

HEADS UP -

Language - There is approx 3 curse words in the book including two G**D***s

Sex - There is mention of heterosexual relationships both in and outside of marriage. Very little intimate detail. A decent amount of the plot revolves around a homosexual relationship that is attempted to be given up but is unsuccessful. Not much intimate detail is given.

Religion - There is an attempt to create a legacy of immortality at the end of the story. The mention of Tibetan Buddhism is mentioned.