Trespass

The Book Report: Two pairs of aging siblings, all damaged goods from various sorts of parental abuse and neglect, collide in one of France's most beautiful areas...the Cevennes range...and manage to make a complete hash of their own, their friends', and even perfect strangers' lives while imagining themselves to be acting in accord with the highest and best principles of mankind. Nothing good comes of anyone's best-intentioned acts because no one has learned what good intentions look like. Tremain explores the results of repression and suppression to their logical extremes in this book.

My Review: There are no new stories, only new ways of telling them. This isn't even a new way of telling an old, tired, and frankly quite offensive show more story. I will not scruple from spoilers from this sentence forward. Stop reading now if you want, despite my urgent advice, to read this tiresome bilge.

Audrun Lunel is a slow child, youngest of her family, and probably not the daughter of the man who raised and molested her, as she was born very shortly after the end of WWII and her mother was alone...well, anyway, incest is about more than genetics. Her brother, at the very least her half-brother that is, molested her too, all after her saintly mama dies. This is a story I simply do not want to read again, ever, since I survived incestuous abouse by my mother and don't care to see the culturally acceptable image of men as abusers continue unchallenged.

Anthony Verey, English poofter and antiques dealer, is in thrall to his memories of his glammy mommy, Lavender, a South African transplant to England, and a woman without a maternal bone in her body. (My mother was Southern, but that's a good description of her, too.) His fat lesbian older sister comes in for most of the verbal abuse his mother can deal out (same with my family), because the sister is not a fashion accessory child. The sister works hard to protect little Anthony, and sets up a lifetime pattern of dependency.

In the end, Anthony is shot by Audrun for being a rosbif carpetbagger, after which she frames her disgusting older brother for the crime. Yay. Creepy queerboy is dead, not before killing his sister's relationship to a perfectly nice if deadly dull woman, and nasty abuser boy goes to prison.

Which is where I want to send these goddamned woman novelists who, when they are absent an idea, think it's perfectly okay to portray their fellow women as victimvictimvictim of horrible, slimy men. It's shouting down the well to say this, but do you not see, Womankind, that this is INSULTING TO *YOU*?!? No woman I know...not one, without exception...is a victimvictimvictim by virtue of her womanliness. Each and every one of the women I know is strong and capable. I resent on their behalf the unquestioned rightness of this kind of claptrap built on the false dichotomy between male abuser and female abused.

Bah. Rotten stuff. show less

Doesn’t every love need to create for itself its own protected space? And if so, why don’t lovers understand better the damage trespass can do?

A brooding, slow-moving, intoxicating novel about two sets of aging brothers and sisters—the close-knit British pair Veronica and Anthony, and the at-daggers French pair Audrun and Aramon—whose paths slowly intertwine, entangle, and irrevocably change the course of everyone’s lives. Tremain is not afraid to explore the darkest corners of love and hate, in families and in romantic relationships both, as well as all the emotions and grey areas in between; there are some tough topics unraveled in these pages, almost in slow motion and in very cinematic language—in nearly pitch-perfect show more counterpoint, giving the reader insight into very different minds facing the same pasts and presents in wholly dissonant ways, in almost poetic tune with the ebbing and flowing of the siblings’ shared season spent in the French countryside, and with the ebbing and flowing of life itself. The way Tremain is able to straddle various genres and themes—psychological fiction, mystery, crime, family drama, inheritance laws, art—and never pigeonhole herself also shows her immense skill, especially with the weight of all she juggles here and yet is able to render very quiet, very still, and almost claustrophobic, like a chamber play or a Bergman film. show less

In a nutshell: A beautiful and haunting novel of lives and memories disrupted by the trespass of truth and secrets.

There is a good range of reviews on Trespass here on LT; it seems most people either love it or hate it. I am in the former camp. While it’s true that most of the characters have few, if any, redeeming characteristics, I still found myself drawn in and caring about them. This is a dark, lyrical book where the bleached landscape is mirrored in the lives of the four main characters who seem to be bleached of all happiness. I don’t want to call it grim, because it isn’t; it is infused with melancholy and lost opportunities but in the absence of innocence and contentment in these lives, one is left with the knowledge of show more what is good and true in one’s own. show less

Tremain is one of my favourite writers, she can turn her hand to so many different subjects and make them interesting. The book arrived through the door before I went into hospital so I have been reading it on my first two days back at home. The reviews I have briefly scanned in the TLS and online seem favourable. Trespass is centred around the Cévennes area of Southern France, not far from the Mediterranean Coast and beautiful Avignon. The Cevennes is often described as the last European wilderness and is a national park. Audrun Lunel is a spinster in her sixties who lives in a little wooden bungalow at the bottom of the hill from her ancestral farmhouse, Mas Lunel in La Callune. I think La Callune is translatable into English as show more heather. Audrun's brother lives alone at the Mas Lunel amidst his pastis, disgusting mess, neglected farm and dogs, with the Mas literally splitting into two before his eyes. Aramon and Audrun are locked in a longstanding feud which hides a dark secret.

Anthony Verey is also in his mid sixties, he is a disenchanted antiques dealer on the Pimlico Road in London whose business is not successful due to his reluctance to part with any of his dated, precious furniture unless at exhorbitant prices. Anthony can find little meaning in his life and one day he decides to seek a new life, by visiting his sister "V" and her partner Kitty in their idyllic villa near the Cevennes. When in France, Anthony decides to search for a home of his own, he stumbles across the Mas Lunel which Aramon has decided to sell for several hundred thousand Euro. However, the sale is impeded by Audrun's little bungalow which is spoiling the view.

When Anthony goes missing, everyone's secrets come out and everything falls apart.

This is a great book. The pace speeds up as the book comes to an end. All the main characters are flawed, whether by their own doing or not, they are haunted in some way or another. The title of Trespass really says it all, there are many types of trespass that are worse than trespass of property. Four and a half stars. Only quibble - I felt sorry for Kitty who is meant to be in her sixties but is very naive although admittedly she is also selfish, in my opinion. Loved V's recollections of her childhood routine with her chunky pony Susan.

I don't think I have added any spoilers but if you don't like even a whiff of dark content don't read Trespass. show less

Rose Tremain’s latest novel (dark, dark, dark) draws parallel lines and connections between two families. Veronica Verey and her brother Anthony were born and raised in the English countryside and are both successful adults in their late 50’s, she a designer of gardens, and he a dealer in antiquities who maintains his shop in London. She is living in southern France with her friend Kitty, a water colorist and photographer.

Living in the same part of France is Aramon Lunel, owner of a lovely stone farmhouse known as Mas Lunel. His sister, Audrun lives in a bungalow on a wooded part of the property. They are not wealthy people, but their property is quite valuable.

Anthony Verey, decrying the loss of customers interested in valuable show more antiques, has come to stay with his sister and decides to look for a piece of retirement property to buy, so that he can be closer to the only person in the world he cares about, his sister, V. If you connect the dots here, you can figure out that Anthony is interested in the Mas Lunel. Once Tremain establishes these relationships, between the families, she creates a very compelling mystery that kept my interest and had me turning pages.

All of the characters are deeply flawed and their parents play a large role in determining the actions they take as adults. Tremain uses the theme of trespass to move the narrative forward:

“In one season, the burned or washed limestone could be green again…And so it went on: from naked stone to forest, in a single generation. On and on. Except there could be trespass. ‘People can come and steal from you, Audrun,’ whispered her mother, Bernadette, long ago. ‘Strangers can come. And others who may not be strangers. Anything that has existence can be stolen or destroyed. So you must be vigilant.’
She’d tried never to cease this vigil…Even in sleep, she’d felt the long weariness of the watcher. But it hadn’t been enough to save her.” (Page 15)

And Kitty has her own thoughts about trespass:

“As Kitty walked towards the water, she wondered: Doesn’t every love need to create for itself its own protected space? And, if so, why don’t lovers understand better the damage trespass can do? It made her furious to think how easily Veronica was colluding with the unspoken open-endedness of Anthony’s visit---as though he was the one who mattered most to her, who had the right to come first and always would, and it was up to her, Kitty, to accept this hierarchy with grown up grace and not make a fuss.” (Page 70)

This idea of trespass, on each other’s lives as well as property, and the role of the parents of each brother and sister, and the tremendous lack of love from the parents all contribute to the actions of the main characters in this deeply disturbing story. Tremain is a wonderful writer and her prose is exquisite. The unsavoury characters, the darkness of the themes, and the final revenge contribute to the harshness of the narrative. It also makes for a totally compelling story. Highly recommended. show less

"Trespass" is the title of this book, and a word which characterizes a theme that is expressed throughout this superb novel. The characters in this story trespass on the lives and dreams of those closest to them; they trespass upon the lands of others, for the worse; however, the striking events that constitute physical trespass are the most damaging.

The novel revolves around the lives of two sets of late middle-aged siblings: Anthony Verey, a famed antiques dealer from London who has fallen on hard times; his sister Veronica, who lives in the Cévennes, a mountainous region in southern France with her lover, Kitty Meadows; Aramon Ludel, a native of the Cévennes who lives in a dilapidated but still impressive farmhouse; and his sister show more Audrun, a strange and disturbed woman who lives in a bungalow at the edge of the land surrounding the farmhouse.

Anthony lives alone in Chelsea, and spends his days in his Pimlico Road studio with his 'beloveds', the antiques that he has accumulated, which are of little interest to anyone but himself. His fame and fortune have waned, to the delight of his competitors and even his best friend. He has grown disillusioned with life in London, and desires to seek semi-retirement in the Cévennes, close to his beloved sister. The region has seen an influx of foreigners who are willing to pay exorbitant prices for old homes and farmhouses, and the newcomers are greeted with disdain by older residents who bemoan the loss of their traditional way of life.

Aramon seeks to sell the Ludel property, which has remained in the family for three generations. He claims the property as his own, and treats his sister as an interloper who wishes to deny him the profits from the upcoming sale that are rightfully his, profits that he will not share with her. He threatens to evict her from the bungalow that she has lived in for years, as it is an eyesore that was built partially on his property. She becomes increasingly agitated at the threat of this eviction, and hatches a plan that will keep the sale from taking place.

Meanwhile, Anthony falls in love with the farmhouse, but wishes to have the bungalow torn down before he will agree to buy the property. Tensions between these characters increase, which result in a sudden and violent turn of events.

"Trespass" is a page-turner, a captivating novel about collision of cultures, sibling rivalries, disturbing family relationships, and revenge. Once I got into the novel I couldn't put it down, as the drama and uncertainty are maintained until the last sentence. I would highly recommend this novel, and I look forward to reading other books by this very talented writer. show less

Audrun and Aramon Lunel are brother and sister that are destroying each other. Perhaps even have already succeeded. They live almost in utter isolation at the Mas Lunel and their proximity torments each of them daily. I really felt for Audrun as a woman struggling with an unimaginable burden but was slightly repelled by her twisted focus. Equally, Aramon is a sorry man drinking himself into oblivion but, again, I found his history abhorrent and almost couldn't bear to read about his sordid view of the world.

Anthony Verey is struggling in obscurity; running an antique shop with very few customers and a shadow of the former famous man he once was. He no longer connects with people and identifies only with the objects under his care: his show more "beloveds", as he calls them. In his youth, Anthony was a respected valuer and noted expert - in his own mind, he is still the Anthony Verey. Needless to say, he is tormented and all but broken and looks to his older sister to save him.

Veronica Verey lives in France and has an overly-maternal attitude towards Anthony. Her partner, Kitty, is somewhat less enthused. The problem I had with 'V' is an almost complete disregard for anyone other than the Verey family. She claims to love Kitty but when Anthony arrives and starts taking over their lives, V turns her back on Kitty with an utter disregard for the pain she is causing. That said, I couldn't find it in myself to feel too bad for Kitty because her hatred for Anthony seems solely borne out of jealousy and she has such a lack of personal identity that I found myself just willing her to stand up for herself!

As you can see, this is a book that is all about its characters, these five predominantly. I believe that one of my texts to my mum when I was about half way through read "What is up with the people in this book?!" Unusually, I managed to enjoy the book despite not identifying with any of the characters or even liking any of them! I wouldn't want to know any of them and I certainly wouldn't want to intrude on their painful world but they are disturbingly captivating.

The story, equally, isn't an easy one to read. The subject matter can be tough and the relationships are destructive and harrowing. My A-Level English Literature teacher loved a bit of pathetic fallacy and I suppose it's ingrained in my psyche somewhere that I should be looking out for it. This book has it in spades. As the heat builds in the story, so it builds in the Mas Lunel and the surrounding area. It was that that kept me reading. It might not always be pleasant but it is certainly compelling.

I'm not exactly clamouring to read more of Tremain's writing straight away - I'm pretty sure my perception of humanity has been damaged enough for this month! However, I'm not completely put off and would possibly pick up another in the future. A mixed reaction, I suppose.

Overall: This is a strange book with some tough subject matter but the tension is engineered brilliantly and the story is a blend of heartache, memories and, of course, trespass. - this is a good read for a hot summer's day and will stay with you for a while after you finish it. show less