Open Road Integrated Media, February 7, 2017.
Four Stars
First published in 1946, Ilsa is one of the first adult novels from L’Engle, who is most
well-known as the author of the children’s series, A Wrinkle in Time. Although it begins with a childhood friendship
between wealthy Henry Porcher and bohemian Ilsa Brandes, this is certainly not
a story for children. It is often dark and gritty, and even though some parts
feel dated, others are surprisingly modern considering that it was written
decades ago.
Young Henry doesn’t realize his level of privilege,
until he sees his life through the eyes of Ilsa and her father – they live in a
modest home overlooking the beach, and seem free and happy in comparison with
Henry’s old-fashioned and often cold family. Ilsa wants to help Henry to be
free and independent, but instead he ends up being reliant on her for happiness.
His love for Ilsa continues to grow through adolescence and young adulthood,
and he suffers when Ilsa falls for and eventually marries his cousin.
Henry observes Ilsa throughout her miserable
marriage, watching as she raises a daughter, becomes a widow and eventually takes
a lover that seems to cause her more unhappiness. Henry puts Ilsa on a
pedestal, unable to see anything she does as wrong – but there is a dark
underside to his unrequited love, simmering with passion and intrigue.
Everyone in the novel seems to revolve around Ilsa –
she is a strong, powerful force, and yet she is always bound by the conventions
of female roles in the early 1900s. She also struggles with her own strict
beliefs in honour and self-punishment. Although she almost immediately
regretted her marriage to Henry’s cousin, it would never occur to her to abandon
the responsibilities of a wife and mother, even if they would all be happier
alone.
While Henry left home briefly to strike out on his
own, he quickly gave up his own chance at love and success in Europe to come
home and care for Ilsa after she experiences a personal tragedy. In addition to
his unrequited love of Ilsa, Henry also struggles with his relationship with
the Porcher family – they have strong Southern beliefs of superiority that have
not moved past the American Civil War, but there are suspicions about their
wealth, as well as multiple issues of incest within the family. With these heavy
themes, this novel is a much darker departure from L’Engle’s other work.
Despite this novel following the lives of Ilsa and
Henry from childhood to adulthood, there is no real climax here – it is more a
series of misadventures that the characters struggle to survive. It was hard to
watch their passivity as they are acted upon, and they don’t seem to take any
responsibility or ownership of their lives. Ilsa lets her life pass by without
acting, and Henry watches from a distance, drifting through time. Even though
Ilsa’s experiences were depressing and sometimes even dull, I enjoyed having
the chance to read this early novel from the author of some of my favourite
children’s books, and seeing another perspective from this great author.
I received this book from Open Road Integrated Media
and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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