THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 7, 1994 TAG: 9412070032
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: BOOK BREAK
TYPE: Book Review
SOURCE: BY IRENE NOLAN, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
BEFORE YOU'RE very far into Diane Chamberlain's latest novel, ``Brass Ring'' (HarperCollins, $21), it's fairly obvious where the story is headed.
Chamberlain, the author of ``Keeper of the Light'' (set on the Outer Banks, N.C.) and ``Secret Lives,'' has chosen to deal with adult victims of childhood sexual abuse, an issue thoroughly examined in the media, on every television talk show and in several made for-TV movies.
Though childhood sexual abuse is a serious concern for society and apparently more common than most of us realized, it sometimes seems to be reaching circus proportions as a steady parade of talk-show guests and celebrities come forward with their stories - from former Miss America Marilyn VanDerbe to Roseanne.
But Chamberlain, who lives in Vienna, Va., has managed to avoid turning ``Brass Ring'' into another tired soap opera on the subject. The story is intelligently told. And, even though, ``the secret'' the two main characters are dealing with is fairly transparent, the author moves the story along with enough twists, turns and unanswered questions to keep most readers turning the pages.
``Brass Ring'' tells of two sisters, Claire and Vanessa, who have been separated by their divorced parents since they were children. The two women have very different memories of their childhoods and the summers they spent on their grandparents' farm. The memory of the carousel with the hand-carved horses that their grandfather created in a barn is a comforting memory for Claire and a terrifying one for Vanessa.
In the opening pages of ``Brass Ring,'' Claire Harte-Mathias tries but fails to prevent a young woman from jumping off the Harpers Ferry, W.Va., bridge. The incident becomes an obsession that changes Claire's seemingly perfect life. Claire and her husband, Jon, a paraplegic, head a successful foundation for people with spinal cord injuries.
Claire becomes increasingly haunted by images that keep returning - images of which she can make no sense. Her husband knows their meaning, but he is unable to help Claire. She turns to the brother of the suicide victim for comfort and support.
At the same time, across the country, Vanessa Gray is a doctor who operates a hospital unit for adolescents who have been sexually abused. When funds are cut off for the unit, Vanessa learns that the congressman who can help is a figure from her past - a past she has carefully buried.
The two sisters, who have not communicated in 20 years, find themselves both struggling with memories of their childhoods and searching for the courage to face the past in order to live fully in the present.
The protagonists are interesting women, though not particularly complex. Though they are portrayed as strong and independent, some readers will think they rely a little too heavily on their men for their strength.
Nevertheless, Chamberlain is a clever and compelling storyteller, and ``Brass Ring'' is an absorbing tale. Chamberlain fans won't be disappointed and neither will anyone else who doesn't go looking for too much. MEMO: Irene Nolan is editor of The Island Breeze on Hatteras Island. She lives
in Buxton, N.C. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
``Brass Ring'' tells the story of childhood sexual abuse.
by CNB