God on the Rocks (Abacus Books) (original 1978; edition 1992)

The qualities that I love about Gardam's books, particularly her earlier ones are those I associate with my favourite early twentieth century writers such as Barbara Pym or Elizabeth Taylor. She can appear to do (deceptively) light and comical whilst also revealing emotion and depth of character.

God on the Rocks had a particularly vintage feel as it is set in the 1930s although it was first published in 1978. Maybe because of her affinity with 1930s writers, the period feel is utterly convincing. The characters eat brawn and shape for high tea ("the brawn was glossy and the shape was matt. Otherwise there was little between them and they were both pale brown"). Only towards the end when things became a little farcical with a married woman accidently losing her clothes in the house of a childhood sweetheart, did I think, maybe we are in the 1970s after all!

We are introduced to the story through intelligent, eight year old Margaret who has been brought up a strictly religious father and a mild, accomodating mother. When her mother has a new baby, Lydia the vivacious maid is encouraged to take Margaret for afternoons out. This leads to new characters entering her world such as as painter Drinkwater and Cambridge graduates Binky and Charles. Margaret starts to see the world as something different but can't quite make sense of the new things she hears and the odd relationships between those around her.

As the book develops, the reader learns more about these characters who tend to be delightfully unpredictable yet wholly believable. Events are eventually resolved in a satisfying ending which is almost an epilogue where we find out what ultimately happened to whom! ( )

Not quite as good as "Old Filth," which is the only other book by Gardam I've read to date (although I will surely read the rest). But then again, "Old Filth" is a very hard act to follow and "God on the Rocks", for all it was shortlisted for the Booker back in 1978, was (I think) Gardam's first.

In this novel, Gardam's humor is by turns scathing and sweet and surprising. Her characters are marvels of three-dimensional creation. Here, between the two World Wars, we have quiet, self-contained, old-before-her-years Margaret, growing up in an alarmingly religious household with her mother Ellie, who has just had another child, and her father, Kenneth, Pastor of an evangelical church. Enter stage left -- Lydia, a somewhat blowsy, vulgar and undeniably alluring 'maid'. Lydia and Margaret go on day trips, where the world becomes far more complicated than Margaret had imagined up until this point: they visit a lunatic asylum, wherein lives an old lady with many secrets and a painter who paints, among other things, quite a lot of snakes.

Lydia evokes all sorts of emotions, not least of them from pious Kenneth. Ellie, in turn, revives a friendship with a long-lost love, the estranged son of the lady in the asylum. In other words, everyone's life gets a good shaking up, resulting in a rocky cliff of disillusion, which echoes the title -- God on the Rocks.

Gardam uses a complicated omniscient point of view in this work -- multiple voices and multiple time frames, and if she doesn't quite pull it off on every page, she comes close enough for it not to matter. You have to pay attention when you read Gardam, so as not to miss anything, and the effort is well rewarded. Highly recommended. ( )

Margaret, a precocious 8-year-old with an adventurous spirit, lives with her odd, fundamentalist Christian parents in a sleepy, seaside English town. A series of events occur around Margaret – including the sudden appearance of her mother’s childhood friends - that bring together a web of people who share a complicated and painful past.

Part comedy, with a bit of tragedy thrown in, the novel examines the toxic effects of longing, stubbornness, and regret, and how people are kept apart and made miserable for the silliest of reasons. It also explores the stock situation of rich-boy-not-allowed-to-marry-his poor-love-due-to-evil-mother without coming across as tired or cliché.

I have absolutely no idea why it’s never occurred to me to read a Jane Gardam novel until this week. Good grief. This is warm, witty, quirky, touching, and wonderful. The writing is excellent and the characters are vivid and rich. It’s ridiculously delightful. I love it. ( )

dnf ( )

This is an older book of Gardam's which was recently published in the U.S. It is quite a complex story revolving around an 8 year old girl, Margaret, who is trying to make sense of the chaos of her home life. Her home life involves odd and unhappy parents, religion, Lydia, a sensual girl who helps in the house, and a madhouse next door with connections to Margaret's home. Needless to say, it's an unusual book. and for not fans of linear narratives. ( )