Blue Rider Press, May 19, 2015.
Five Stars
In Anna North’s new novel, Sophie Stark is the creator of critically-acclaimed art films that play on the strong and often uncomfortable emotions of her viewers. She uses the lives of those closest to her – her college crush, her girlfriend, and her husband – as inspiration for her films, often in ways that are incredibly painful to them. Sophie will sacrifice anything for her art, and she proves that with her final decision at the end of the novel, a decision that alters the lives of everyone who ever fell into her sphere of influence.
Sophie’s story is told from the multiple perspectives of her loved ones. They are ostensibly reconstructing Sophie’s life, but it is often more a reflection on how she affected their lives as individuals. Although they have all been hurt by Sophie and her decisions in the name of art, they also owe her a debt for making them who they are today. Because the reader only meets Sophie through the eyes of others, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is an interesting exercise in character study – there is a fluidity of interpretation that made me wonder how well we can ever know anyone. Sophie seems one-dimensional because she doesn’t speak in the novel (aside from being quoted by others), but that is how we get to know people in real life, with no access to a convenient interior voice. As Sophie’s reviewer says, his opinions are based on his mood or even what he had for breakfast that morning, so no matter how authoritative his views are, they are really just a reflection of his own needs and desires.
Although Sophie comes across as cold and emotionless, she is repeatedly willing to sacrifice everything for those she loves. In fact, her emotions are so deep and dark, that she finds it easier to hide them away, only exposing them in her films where the pursuit of truth in expression comes at the cost of real feelings. The emotional distance of her movies is what made them successful, but it is also what damaged her personal relationships. The pain that she caused was not malicious at all – she genuinely didn’t seem to understand that others might not choose to sacrifice everything for art.
This novel is also a meditation on celebrity culture – the director is elevated to the role of prophet when it comes to interpreting feelings. We accept the created worldview as fact, when in fact it is just as fluid as our own experiences. In her movies, Sophie makes simple observations that can utterly destroy everything you thought you knew about other people. She says she doesn’t understand feelings and uses movies to translate them – although socially inept, Sophie is actually an expert at showing people how they really feel. As she is told by her first love, Daniel, “Other people talk about their feelings, but you actually show them, with your movies. And maybe that’s even better.” (Loc. 1767)
Ultimately, this is a story about the many kinds of love, and the multitude of ways we express it. North’s writing style is clever and compelling, and brings Sophie and her loved ones to life, much like I imagine Sophie’s films would do. I really enjoyed this, so much that I have already tracked down North’s first novel, America Pacifica, and I look forward to reading it.
I received this book for free through Blue Rider Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Great review!!!
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