“The door of a novel, like the door of a poem also shuts. But not so fast, nor with such manic, unanswerable finality”. Serendipity happened in the form of Vickers’ “The Other Side of You”. A wonderful blend of both genres. It meanders, yet at the same time there it is: the beginning and the end at one breath while captivating you through its 271 pages. I didn’t go looking for it- it found me perhaps.
The novel revolves around a failed suicide who is admitted to the care of a psychiatrist. Vickers portrays the therapeutic relationship in all it’s messy glory-its imperfections, its conflicts, its possibilities yet it is so much more than a mere insightful narrative of a relationship between a client and therapist. The Other Side of You is about relationships- the impact of (certain relationships) and the depths of the human soul. The style- simple, honest and beautifully subtle and wise in dealing with the complex subject of human relationships which Vickers does with unusual clarity. Her territory is the fault line along which memories of loss are experienced by an individual both as integral to his identity and as constraints on the engagement with the present. The lives of the characters is gently absorbing as it continues to resonate with pain, possibilities, regrets and redemption- all mirrored by art- implying that we all endure.
The novel deals with usual people- of real relationships, of suffering, hope and impact- of true connectedness, of love- which is in essence “…difficult. And demanding. And a nuisance”. It is raw and yet moving in its emotional tone which ironically though laden with charged emotion is neutral. It is a multi layered book that reminds me of the themes of Eliot’s “The Cocktail Party”. A sustained examination of love, exploration of the connection between faith and people, levels of human trust, art and redemption. It examines love through timidity or lack of self worth, of how we allow it to elude us; of relationships, of choices and responsibilities and the search for self and truth. Despite dealing with themes of love, self, life it is not a “mushy” or vaguely romantic novel. Rather, it suggests that suffering is necessary and part of life and that opportunities for happiness should be taken whenever offered. It resonates a thought that I have often had myself in the context of therapy and my own life “There is no cure for living” as one of the characters puts it. Although deceptively simple in form The Other Side of You tackles huge and troubling questions of human relationships- of people living in people and being inextricably tied to another in soul- of love being here, then not, then here again, transforming and transformed. It is a brave, insightful book on the quest for honesty and human authenticity
It has traces of Eliot all through. It is a fantastic read albeit a serious one. How shall I describe it? It made me think of how certain people/ relationships become a part of one’s existence and being and cannot be washed off not for want of trying. Sort of like a clear glass globe, self complete, very pure, with a forest, a place, animals or people in it. You turn it upside down, then back. It snows. Everything is changed in a minute. A lifetime has changed in a minute. It will never be the same again in there- nor the fir trees, nor the gabels, nor the faces. Nor life. There is another who is you. "Ferociously readable"!
“Who is the third who walks always beside you?
When I count, there are only you and I together
But when I look ahead up the white road
There is always another one walking beside you
…..
-But who is that on the other side of you?
(T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land)
The novel revolves around a failed suicide who is admitted to the care of a psychiatrist. Vickers portrays the therapeutic relationship in all it’s messy glory-its imperfections, its conflicts, its possibilities yet it is so much more than a mere insightful narrative of a relationship between a client and therapist. The Other Side of You is about relationships- the impact of (certain relationships) and the depths of the human soul. The style- simple, honest and beautifully subtle and wise in dealing with the complex subject of human relationships which Vickers does with unusual clarity. Her territory is the fault line along which memories of loss are experienced by an individual both as integral to his identity and as constraints on the engagement with the present. The lives of the characters is gently absorbing as it continues to resonate with pain, possibilities, regrets and redemption- all mirrored by art- implying that we all endure.
The novel deals with usual people- of real relationships, of suffering, hope and impact- of true connectedness, of love- which is in essence “…difficult. And demanding. And a nuisance”. It is raw and yet moving in its emotional tone which ironically though laden with charged emotion is neutral. It is a multi layered book that reminds me of the themes of Eliot’s “The Cocktail Party”. A sustained examination of love, exploration of the connection between faith and people, levels of human trust, art and redemption. It examines love through timidity or lack of self worth, of how we allow it to elude us; of relationships, of choices and responsibilities and the search for self and truth. Despite dealing with themes of love, self, life it is not a “mushy” or vaguely romantic novel. Rather, it suggests that suffering is necessary and part of life and that opportunities for happiness should be taken whenever offered. It resonates a thought that I have often had myself in the context of therapy and my own life “There is no cure for living” as one of the characters puts it. Although deceptively simple in form The Other Side of You tackles huge and troubling questions of human relationships- of people living in people and being inextricably tied to another in soul- of love being here, then not, then here again, transforming and transformed. It is a brave, insightful book on the quest for honesty and human authenticity
It has traces of Eliot all through. It is a fantastic read albeit a serious one. How shall I describe it? It made me think of how certain people/ relationships become a part of one’s existence and being and cannot be washed off not for want of trying. Sort of like a clear glass globe, self complete, very pure, with a forest, a place, animals or people in it. You turn it upside down, then back. It snows. Everything is changed in a minute. A lifetime has changed in a minute. It will never be the same again in there- nor the fir trees, nor the gabels, nor the faces. Nor life. There is another who is you. "Ferociously readable"!
“Who is the third who walks always beside you?
When I count, there are only you and I together
But when I look ahead up the white road
There is always another one walking beside you
…..
-But who is that on the other side of you?
(T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land)
4 comments:
great reveiw ...i wish to read each of the books after what u write abt-whats in them....
me wanna practice at being insomniac for the benifits of time..but im the opposite -yearn for shut eyes...
well, will catch up with reading books the u introduce to us- time permitting..thanku
hey i envy you for the books you read. only thing i remember once m back in my room is sleep and writing work:(hope to read the books once it is not too demanding.....
You should have stuck with literature or art- "quite honestly" get out of that pathological place.SOON
be careful for wat you wish for- you just might end up getting it!
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