The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

I'll start by saying I'm not the biggest fan of Ann Patchett. I read Commonwealth earlier last year, and found that whilst it was interesting, I could not enjoy the writing. So when I saw The Dutch House had been published, I had no intention of reading it. Or, rather, I borrowed it from my local library, and never picked it up.

As you can see, I tried to take a photograph and my kitten became too interested.... Anyway!

I recently read This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage, which is a series of essays by Patchett in one place. I didn't necessarily enjoy the essays together, but I did enjoy them when considering them as their own separate works. The parts that were most interesting to me were her descriptions of the writing process and of her graduate program in writing short stories. In one of the essays, Patchett specifically states that her writing with each book gets better. And so with that in mind, I picked up a copy of The Dutch House.

And, man, was I glad I did.

The Dutch House is the story of two children (Danny and Maeve) and their lives, from childhood to adulthood, following their stepmother's entrance into their lives. The way Patchett writes this book is perfect. She sets the scene in every page. I spent half of the book trying to imagine what the Dutch House exactly looked like, mostly because it was so big, and the other half enjoying the progression of Danny's life and Maeve's role in it. I especially liked Maeve's sense of vengeance in the first half. The plot moves back and forth between periods in their lives, but it's not hard to tell when exactly events occur, because Patchett guides you through it.

What I enjoyed most about this book though, is that I went in with thinly veiled scepticism. I didn't bother to hide how much I didn't enjoy Patchett's previous work, in comparison to the many people that have recommended her books to me. But within the first chapter, I knew this was going to be a good book - so good that I forced myself to put the book down on multiple occasions, simply to prolong the experience of reading it for the first time.

For what it's worth, I only gave this book 4/5 stars. I did not enjoy the way it ended. Maybe this is common amongst those that have read The Dutch House, maybe it isn't. Maybe I am just a sucker for predictable endings that leave you feeling fulfilled. I felt my interest slip away towards the end, not because the book had gotten bad, but because the storyline had gotten too 'good'.

To sum it up, I would definitely recommend this. I can fully understand the hype, and I'm glad I gave it a chance in the end, because it shocked me in how enjoyable I found it. I may even try reading Commonwealth again, to see if my initial thoughts were too critical.

Rating: ★★★★☆