Random House, April 5, 2016.
Three Stars
I have read several of Quindlen’s novels, and while
they are always satisfying, they sometimes seem to be missing that
extraordinary element. Although Miller’s
Valley ostensibly reaches deep into the psyche of the Miller family, the
characters’ emotions still only skim the surface of their potential depth. This
certainly wasn’t a five star novel for me, but I did enjoy it and I sped
through it.
Most of all, Miller’s
Valley is the coming-of-age story of Mimi Miller, as she grows up in a
small farming community in the 1960s. Mimi’s family have lived for generations
in the valley that bears their name – and for almost as long, the government
has been planning to flood the land due to problems with the man-made dam.
Because the family, along with their neighbours, live under constant threat of
displacement, they seem to place extra value on their combined strength, and
connections with one another. The novel is very character driven, with each
life defined by the impending loss of the community.
We see most of the story through Mimi’s childhood
eyes, with only the odd moment of clarity as she looks back on her past as an
adult. She listens to the adults talking and arguing, without a proper understanding
of what’s really going on outside her family’s walls – and because she doesn’t know
the truth, it is only revealed to the reader as time passes as well. Mimi especially
idolizes her oldest brother, but he is drastically changed after his
experiences in Vietnam. While at war, he
leaves behind his pregnant girlfriend, and Mimi must grow up fast in order to
help raise her new nephew. Meanwhile, she also has an aunt with a terrible
secret who refuses to leave her house, and eventually a father who is disabled
due to a stroke. Although Mimi has a chance to escape the valley, she stays
behind and puts her family first.
Mimi faces the dysfunction of her family with grace
and love – she accepts their flaws as normal, which makes her relatable to most
readers. Her family has their problems, but they are fairly realistic, and they
still represent the most stable, loving force in Mimi’s young life. The
importance of home and familial roots is an important theme in this novel, and
although the potential flood could wash clean the sins of the past, it will
also cause Mimi to be set adrift, with no home to hold her firmly in place.
Mimi is a child narrator, but she does look back at
events with some hindsight and wisdom. I did feel that her narration lacked the
emotion that would have accompanied the many dramatic events she experienced,
but that could be because it is a reflection of the past as opposed to being
written in the present tense. More than anything, Miller’s Valley is a simply told yet meaningful family chronicle.
In spite of its difficult content, I found it to be a comfortable, cozy read.
I received this novel from Random House and NetGalley
in exchange for an honest review.
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