Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 9, 1995 TAG: 9504070094
SECTION: BOOK PAGE: F-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY MARIAN COURTNEY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In her first book, "The Invisible Circus," Jennifer Egan explores family relationships, teen-age angst and what it was like to be young during the 1960s.
The story revolves around Phoebe, an 18-year-old who has suffered two family tragedies - first her father falls ill and dies, then her sister, Faith, dies under unexplained circumstances. Losing her sister proves especially traumatic for 10-year-old Phoebe.
Eight years later, Phoebe still has not moved past her sister's death. Obsessed with her memory, she even sleeps in Faith's bedroom. In death, both her father and her sister have taken on saintly attributes. Phoebe feels at odds with her brother and alienated from her mother. exacerbating her skewed memories. She sees her mother's new relationship as a betrayal of her father, and that attitude leads to a bitter fight, one of those in which people say things they regret but can never take back.
The rift with her mother spurs Phoebe to escape to Europe. She recreates Faith's trip, hoping to find out what really happened and to make sense of her sister's death. In Munich she meets Faith's lover, who had been abroad with her, and he joins Phoebe in her quest for answers. As she unravels the mystery behind her sister's last few weeks, Phoebe learns about herself as well.
It is the process of looking for the truth, and not the actual finding of it, that changes her the most.
Egan writes poetically, liberally sprinkling her sentences with similes and metaphors. She includes details for relevance and authenticity.
Editing in a couple of places would make for a tighter work. Phoebe's seedy encounter with two men in Amsterdam, for example, adds nothing to the story. Also, the book would have had greater impact had it ended with chapter 21.
The last chapter reintroduces a minor character, hinting at a romantic interest in Phoebe's future. It is a distracting and unnecessary inclusion that really adds nothing of value and results in a sentimental ending. Still, anyone who has experienced parental or sibling conflict, anyone who lived during the 1960s or anyone curious about the impact that era had on individuals will enjoy "The Invisible Circus."
Marian Courtney lives in Charlottesville.
by CNB