Hotel Du Lac (1984)
Who wrote it?
Anita Brookner CBE (1928 - 2016; active 1981-2011), born Herne Hill, London. The daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants, for much of her life Brookner was known as an art historian, holding distinguished positions at the Courtauld, Cambridge and elsewhere. She published her first novel aged 53, and thereafter was fairly prolific, publishing at a rate of approximately one novel every year. She never married, and her novels tend to explore themes around the difficulties of fitting in to society, often for immigrants and/or single women.
What's it about
Edith Hope, a moderately successful romance novelist, arrives at the Hotel du Lac, on the shores of Lake Geneva, where she has been “banished” by friends for a misdemeanor which is for large parts of the novel unclear. She begins her stay refusing to change, intending to keep a distance from the small number of fellow guests and work on her latest novel. As the novel progresses, however, she begins to engage with the other guests and reflect on her life.
We’re introduced to the other guests in more detail, including several other women who have been “sent” to the hotel, either (like Edith) to recover from or atone for “issues” or simply, in the case of one older resident, to be got out of the way. We learn more about Edith’s own romantic life, largely by way of letters to a David, with whom she is seemingly unrequitedly obsessed. Much of her past and future decisions seem to depend on her letting go of David (who is married and unwilling to leave his partner) though none seem to offer her the resolution she desires.
What I liked
Brookner is known as a prose stylist, with her artistic sensibility clearly visible. There are indeed some beautifully crafted sentences in here, and a sense that a lot of effort has gone into ensuring every word works as precisely and effectively as possible.
There are some very well-drawn characters in the novel, particularly the wealthy, shopping-obsessed Puseys. The other guests offer occasional light relief, albeit with a very dry sense of humour.
This is certainly the most female Booker winner to date. Almost every character that is drawn in any level of detail is female, with the men in the novel largely background figures, thinly drawn or absent entirely. Despite this, the dominance of men is still very apparent - they may be absent, but they are responsible for the misery or difficulties of many of the women in the novel. It’s not entirely clear, but perhaps the ending offers a sense of Edith finally shedding some of her shackles of dependence and making her own way in the world.
What I didn't like
Despite all of the above, I struggled in general with this novel. Though short, it felt like a bit of a slog to get through and the first half in particular was so bound up in attempts to shroud Edith’s banishment in mystery that I found it difficult to grasp onto anything and understand why I was meant to care.
The prose may be impressively well-crafted but in places (particularly, again, early in the novel) it’s almost crafted to death. There are pages where Brookner never uses a one-syllable word when a four-syllable alternative is available, and sentences need to be reread with reference to a dictionary to make sense. For me, it’s the wrong kind of economy - it may be efficient in terms of word count, but it’s not a flowing, natural, easy read. Now, I do get the sense that there is something deliberate in this and Brookner is mirroring Edith’s romance novel stylings, which then fall away later in the novel as she begins to change. This is (again) impressive work if I’m right, but it doesn’t necessarily make it any more enjoyable to read.
I mean, this hardly needs stating, but this is so upper middle class that it’s almost painful in places. It’s everything that those who criticize the Booker have in mind, I think: the literary establishment observing itself, sharing its findings, and congratulating itself for doing so. What relevance a “society” novel like this had to the average reader in the troubled Britain of the early 80s is very hard to see. But maybe that’s not the point.
After the run of stunning, serious novels that won the Booker in the early 80s, I was actually looking forward to something a little lighter. But it isn’t really light, it’s insular and self-absorbed, and while there is humour it’s so dry as to be undetectable in most places. Ultimately, it’s a fairly bleak read, without much in the way of depth to redeem it.
Food & drink pairings
Coffee, cake, cigarettes.
Fun facts
This was another controversial winner. The consensus of the time was that Empire of the Sun was going to win, almost a done deal. As such, a lot of unnecessary bile was thrown in Brookner’s direction. Rightly saying that she didn’t choose to win, she later opined that it would have been better all around if Ballard had won. Much as the eyes of history have probably agreed that Empire is an odd omission, the vitriolic criticism of Brookner was clearly unsavoury and very reminiscent of the fuss around Penelope Fitzgerald’s win in 1979 which was - oh wait - the last time an “older” woman won the prize.
Conversely, it is pretty stunning that Ballard has never won the Booker, despite the number of massively acclaimed (and brilliant) novels he’s responsible for. One for the “what the hell is the Booker actually for?” file, surely.
Brookner was dubbed the “mistress of gloom” for her tendency to depict women in hopeless situations, and some insight into her purpose (and perhaps why we didn’t click as reader and author) can be gleaned for her thoughts in the context of her home country:
“People say that I am always serious and depressing, but it seems to me that the English are never serious — they are flippant, complacent, ineffable, but never serious, which is sometimes maddening,”
There was a BBC TV movie made in 1986. I can’t say I’m particularly excited by the thought of seeking it out, though.
Vanquished Foes
J. G. Ballard (Empire of the Sun)
Julian Barnes (Flaubert’s Parrot)
Anita Desai (In Custody)
Penelope Lively (According to Mark)
David Lodge (Small World)
Looking at this heavyweight list, it’s hard not empathise with the critical surprise at Brookner’s win. Also, I’m sad Ballard didn’t win as Empire is another one that I read as a teen and would love to revisit. Flaubert’s Parrot is actually one of the few Barnes that I haven’t read. Any other tips from this year’s list?
Context
In 1984:
UK Miners' Strike (1984-5) begins
Brighton Hotel Bombing - 5 die in IRA attempt to assassinate Thatcher and the British Cabinet
Famine in Ethiopia, brought to British attention by Michael Buerk's BBC reports
Discovery of the AIDS virus officially announced in the US
Assassination of Indian PM Indira Gandhi; Ensuing anti-Sikh murders leave more than 10000 Sikhs dead.
Reagan re-elected for second term in the US
P.W. Botha inaugurated as first State President of South Africa
Liechtenstein becomes the last country in Europe to grant women the right to vote (!)
Sino-British Joint Declaration signed, in which UK agrees to return Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997
Crack cocaine "epidemic" begins in LA
O-Level and CSE Exams replaced by GCSEs in the UK
Apple Macintosh goes on sale for the first time
Tetris released in the USSR on the Electronika 60
Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA is the first CD to be manufactured in the US
Prince, Purple Rain
Band Aid, "Do They Know it's Christmas?"
The Terminator
Ghostbusters
Threads
First airing of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
Life Lessons
An off-season hotel isn’t a brilliant place to go to restore your soul and morality, or whatever
Accepting marriage proposals from people you’ve met 2 days previously probably isn’t going to end well
A system in which women need to accept these proposals in order to gain social “advantages” (like not getting “banished” to boring hotels) is definitely also extremely flawed
Score
4.5
First dud of the 80s for me. A bit harsh, perhaps, and it did redeem itself towards the end, but I wouldn’t have finished this in normal circumstances and can’t fairly score it higher than any of the other winners to date.
Ranking to date:
Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie (1981) - 9.5
The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch (1978) - 9
Life & Times of Michael K. - J. M. Coetzee (1983) - 9
Schindler’s Ark - Thomas Keneally (1982) - 9
Troubles - J.G. Farrell (1970, "Lost Booker") - 8.5
Saville - David Storey (1976) - 8
The Siege of Krishnapur - J.G. Farrell (1973) - 8
Rites of Passage - William Golding (1980) - 7.5
Offshore - Penelope Fitzgerald (1979) - 7.5
The Elected Member - Bernice Rubens (1970) - 7
The Conservationist - Nadine Gordimer (1974) - 7
Holiday - Stanley Middleton (1974) - 7 .
Heat & Dust - Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1975) - 6.5
In a Free State* - V.S. Naipaul (1971) - 6.5
G. - John Berger (1972) - 6
Something to Answer For - P. H. Newby (1969) - 5.5
Staying On - Paul Scott (1977) - 5
Hotel du Lac - Anita Brookner (1984) - 4.5
*Read in later condensed edition.
Next up
Keri Hulme’s The Bone People, which looks long. Apologies in advance if I’m not back next week!
