997. The Red Queen

The Red Queen
Margaret Drabble
2004
Around 350 pages

Here on this blog, we are Team Drabble, rather than Team A.S. Byatt (her purported literary rival and sister). And once again, Margaret does not disappoint, so take that, Antonia.

Dr. Barbara Halliwell is on the plane to Seoul for a conference. She is reading the memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong, a Korean Queen in the 1700s, and the story is split between the two narratives. Barbara's story details a short and passionate romance, while Hyegyeong describes being picked as a bride and her husband's violent insanity.

I can see why some people might find the addition of Barbara's story unnecessary, as Hyegyeong's story is worthy of its own novel, and what happens with Barbara isn't that original. But I enjoyed it. I find Drabble's prose engaging enough that I'm happy just reading about her characters doing ordinary things, like losing their suitcase at an airport.

I wouldn't give this five stars because I wasn't that blown away, but I was thoroughly entertained for 350 pages, and that's all I care about.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Guardian reviewer Maureen Freely described the novel as "an implausible but gorgeously trashy romance...Rarely has feminist escapism been so stylishly disguised."

UP NEXT: The Sea by John Banville

790. The Radiant Way

The Radiant Way
Margaret Drabble
1987
Around 400 pages

I was not aware that Margaret Drabble and A.S. Byatt were sisters, what a twist! Apparently they are/were on rough enough terms that they both refuse to read the others' works. These family rivalries are so juicy. Well, I declare myself House Drabble in the literary wars, because I absolutely loved this novel. 

The Radiant Way follows three Cambridge educated women, who are all knowledge professionals. Liz s husband Charles is leaving her for a younger woman. Alix teaches English literature to female prisoners, and forms an uneasy connection with one of the inmates. Esther is...obsessed with her house plant, I guess? She's kind of the weak link in the trio.

This was a very strange novel, with a serial killer lurking in the background who decapitates his victims. And then the main character's last name is Headland? It's all very weird, but it works. All of her characters felt very real. Alix, Charles, and Liz in particular are richly drawn, and so much is communicated by just observing them do completely ordinary things, like vacuuming or fulfilling work obligations. The murders in the backdrop of this story give the novel an edge, and demonstrates just how much horrific violence we ignore on a regular basis, thinking it will never touch us.

This felt like a blend between Margaret Atwood and Iris Murdoch, which is a magical combination. Brilliant from start to finish. A.S., does that kill you?

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Writing in The New Criterion, Donna Rifkind describes the novel as a continuation of "constraining sameness which keeps Drabble as a writer wandering around the same circle, treading the same ground." Ouch.

UP NEXT: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams