Gatherings

This first (and only, so far) novel by socialite and Vogue columnist Marina Rust tells the story of a wealthy family grappling with their demons: insanity, alcoholism and a lack of purpose. The protagonist, Meredith, rejoins her extended family as a teenager, having spent most of her childhood with her eccentric mother in various communes and backwater towns. Her mother has since abandonded Meredith to her ex-husband and died. Meredith goes to Manhattan, where she falls into her extremely wealthy family's lifestyle. She shuffles between the Upper East Side apartment and the houses in Connecticut, Maine and South Carolina. She socializes with her cousins, the damaged Pearce and hardened Felicity. She settles naturally into a life of privilige. As Meredith researches her family's secrets (the suicide, the mental illness) she struggles to find purpose in her life. This is the story of a family who has excesses of material wealth but not a lot of happiness or direction. However, Rust never asks you to feel sorry for them, only to look inside their heads for a moment and see the world as they see it. Her prose is spare and lovely and the melancholy pace of the story is appropriate. It's an interesting glimpse of a rarified world. Having read Rust's articles in Vogue about her family and knowing a bit about their background, I think this is a pretty compelling take on that world. I hope that she's got another novel in her!

I got this book from the library and fell in love with it's poetic writing and interesting relationships. I am disappointed that the first time author did not write more! The protagonist is both sympathetic and realistic, although her situations are not always so. I found this book so fascinating that I went through an extensive search to acquire a copy for my home library! If you can find it, it is worth it. I've read it five or six times over.

This is a lovely book - a subtle, psychological drama that charmingly references "the princess and the pea." While the characters are startlingly rich, their dilemma of having too much freedom and comfort in life is a modern American affliction. Scratch many a suburban family and you'll find a princess (or prince) who, when confronted with a pea-sized problem, simply can't cope. But ultimately, the book is about the most basic of themes - the existentialist idea that life is a choice; you choose to live. I eagerly await more books by this author.

"Gatherings is an elegant, perfectly controlled novel. Marina Rust has a great sense of place, a great love of family, and a great future. Her prose style is sharp an impeccable." - Pat Conroy............ I'm looking at the back of the book, having just finished it. I borrowed a copy, and I have to give it back. I read it twice in one weekend. You've got to pay attention. It's a comedy, not a tragedy, which readers of Rust's columns in VOGUE will immediately realize. If you liked 'Emma', you'll like this. The trouble may be finding a copy...