THE LIVES OF STELLA BAIN
by Anita Shreve
Pages:
264
Date:
18/12/2014
Grade:
4
Details:
Reading Group Read
Library
The
blurb:
“Hauled
in a cart to a field hospital in northern France in March 1916, an American
woman wakes up from unconsciousness to the smell of gas gangrene, the sounds of
men in pain, and an almost complete loss of memory; she knows only that she can
drive an ambulance, she can draw, and her name is Stella Bain.
A
stateless woman in a lawless country, Stella embarks on a journey to
reconstruct her life. Suffering an agonising and inexplicable array of
symptoms, she finds her way to London. There Dr. August Bridge, a cranial
surgeon turned psychologist, is drawn to tracking her amnesia to its source.
What brutality was she fleeing when she left the tranquil seclusion of a New
England college campus to serve on the Front; for what crime did she need to
atone – and whom did she leave behind?”
My
thoughts:
“Can
a man possibly care for a woman who is not herself? A woman who, with any luck,
might change into someone else? Can a woman who is not herself truly care for
another?”
I’m
a bit ambivalent about this book. On the one hand I loved the story. I liked
the idea of exploring the horrors of World War One through the eyes of a woman.
We tend to forget they too played important and often horrific roles in this
conflict and it’s about time it was given attention. I also appreciated the
various layers in the story and the slow unravelling of Stella’s story and
life.
Anita
Shreve is a good and accomplished storyteller and The Lives of Stella Bain held
my interest from start to finish. Having said that, I also found myself a bit
underwhelmed with The Lives of Stella Bain. From the moment I started this book
I had problems losing myself in the story. Stella’s tale is told in a detached
manner and as a result I felt removed what was happening to her.
Initially
I hoped the detachment would diminish as Stella’s memory returned. And, if the
tone of the narration had shifted from impersonal to more personally involved
as Stella returned to who she was and remembered why she found herself in the
situation she was in, I would have considered it a masterful stroke of storytelling.
As
it was, I felt I never got the opportunity to connect with Stella. She started
off as and remained a rather one dimensional character in an interesting but
rather flat story. It is quite possible I missed something but to me this felt
like a missed opportunity. On the other hand, I can’t deny the story almost
read itself and despite my lack of involvement in the story, I had no problem
staying with it and finishing this book.
