Jumping the Queue

Mary Wesley writes odd little novels, firmly grounded in her very British-ness, but often with twists and ambiguities that set them apart. Her characters can be unlikeable but never unsympathetic, which is something of a feat in my opinion. This one is about an older woman whose plan to kill herself is thrown into disarray when she meets a younger man hiding from the police after killing his mother. It's about aging and family and how much we really know those closest to us. In these two characters, Wesley explores the misunderstandings and misperceptions of life, as well as its disappointments and quiet joys. This was my fourth novel by this underappreciated author, and I am glad I have several more sitting on my shelves.

Mary Wesley has become one of my favourite British female authors since I discovered her last year. This is not a happy story by any means, as it starts with our protagonist Matilda Poliport who's been widowed for a few years and having lost her cherished husband, with four grown children who refuse to visit her, has decided the best life has to offer is behind her. When the novel begins, she is just putting the last touches to a major housecleaning as she is carefully putting into execution her meticulously planned suicide. Her beloved pet gander Gus is sold to a farmer, where he'll ostensibly be happy with a harem of six geese, and she's off to her favourite secluded beach to have a picnic of brie and Beaujolais before taking sleeping show more pills and swimming into the tide. But of course her plans are foiled when she meets Hugh Warner, an attractive 30-something man on the run from the police and known all over the media as "The Matricide". She saves him before committing his own suicide attempt and brings him back to her cottage to hide away, where of course, a most unusual relationship will develop. Relationships are Wesley's strength, as is writing from a mature person's perspective on life, but mature not so much in the sense of having acquired bundles of wisdom as having lived life fully and being past caring what others think and feeling free to impose one's personality on others. Which of course makes for fascinating characters. I don't know if Matilda is necessarily a likeable character, since we learn she has mostly lived her life denying all the uncommonly unpleasant things that have been thrown her way, but thanks to Wesley's subtle skills it is impossible not to form an attachment to her AND the matricide. Of course, we're not to expect a happy ever after given the ingredients this story is made up of, but that hardly matters, as Wesley succeeds in creating another thing of messy and unruly beauty. show less

I read The Camomile Lawn as a student and, being young and naive, was impressed by its suave, sophisticated, witty characters. With this in mind, I happily snaffled Mary Wesley’s Jumping the Queue when I found it on a bookshop expedition to Winchester with H. Now I wonder whether, if I were to reread The Camomile Lawn, I would find there the negatives that I noticed here alongside the wit and sophistication: detached indifference; clever people behaving horribly to one another; a rather nihilistic view of the world. What, really, is the point? That’s the question we find the recently widowed Matilda Poliport contemplating as the book starts. Carrying a basket of wine, cheese and fresh bread, she’s heading down to the beach for a show more picnic before she ends it all. When her plans are frustrated, she heads back to a life that she thought she had all neatly tied up; but this time she has an unexpected companion: a soul almost as lost as she is. Be warned. This is not a cosy piece of classic fiction. This is fiction with claws. And teeth...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2019/07/31/jumping-the-queue-mary-wesley/ show less

This book tells the story of Matilda who is interrupted in her suicide attempt when she comes across Hugh who is on the run from the police. Rather than hand him in she takes him home and there the adventures begin.

I loved this book which you would think would be depressing given the subject matter but instead is actually very life-affirming in places and full of pathos. I loved the fact that it didn't feel the need to make the character nice but gave them weaknesses and foibles which seemed more realistic.

My favourite character was Gus who always made his prescence known.

A brilliant first book by this author at the age of 70.

Never thought that matricide could be a fascinating topic,With honesty, irony and insightful wit, this little gem carves a realistic path through a whole raft of family issues.

Matilda and, even more, the reader slowly discover surprising details about the people in her life. Nonetheless, the book ends with lots of unanswered questions---perhaps because that's the way the world works. I was hoping for a happier ending.

This book was well-written, but that's all I can say in its favour. Matilda, the heroine, isn't a likeable character. She's full of strange ideas, disloyalties, and unmaternal feelings. It was apparently supposed to be funny but I found it dissatisfying and rather depressing. Not at all recommended.