Book Review: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

RACHEL SOO THOW - 1 FEB 2021

Yet again another beautiful novel by Patchett - if you haven't already picked up an Ann Patchett novel then may I suggest my last favourite, Bel Canto!

The Dutch House has certainly graced the YouTube and BookTube forums alike, so you could say that my little bubble of joy was almost bursting at the seams when I stumbled across it at my local book fair for $1 (yes, $1- don't even get me started on the joys of second-hand literature treasures).

Ann Patchett has one theme that she can't seem to help returning to: "I keep writing the same thing over and over," she once explained, "which is a group of strangers thrown together by circumstance."

Patchett's eighth novel plays out in the same fashion through a sprawling tapestry of adulthood - a mythologised path of grandeur crammed full with oil paintings, silk chairs, ominous portraits and a plethora of 'art'. In the novel, the Dutch House is a sumptuous building built in legacy and deeply seeded histories and was previously owned by the Van Hoebeek dynasty, once known by locals for their unnerving manner, provenance and haughty interiors rather than their Versailles-like architectural style. Siblings Maeve and Danny are subjected to the murky waters of a house laden in misery and banishment, one executed by their stepmother and an action that serves to be unforgettable for decades. The fragile balance of this kingdom is subsequently destroyed.

As a reader we are left questioning how this will play out through the decades, and if any kind of reconciliation with the past might still be achieved after such a profound betrayal. This theme becomes a recurring feature of Patchett’s that brings the novel to life. These bold fairytale elements and architectural nods to a life of grandeur within Eastern Pennsylvania expand into an adult fairytale: two children left to find their own way back to their home after being expelled by their 'evil' stepmother (sound familiar?), throw in a few plush interiors of a coveted house, an absent mother, “lot's of ghost's”, skeptical housekeepers and checkmate! We have ourselves a riveting storyline in which the worst part of the 'fairytale' is magnified and drawn out to the breach in vivid Patchett fashion. We are shown the frailty of life and authority through Maeve, and the discovery of love and knowledge through Danny. The Dutch House becomes an entity in which the perspective on family life is illuminated and and human resilience and uncertainties are all part of the normal dysfunction of an American family.

Patchett has successfully achieved a somewhat melancholic realism through her characters and storytelling: there are moments of grace, defeat and acceptance. Patience becomes an unrealised potential of human life and relationships and one that rings true with every page.

The question remains as to whether the 'fairytale' was enough in supporting the very weight this novel bears?

---

---