For English we're reading Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Like most of the class, I'm somewhat nonplussed by the book, with its lengthy prose and endless descriptions. It has a certain lyrical, poetic quality, but, maybe because it was a required reading, I'm far too pragmatic to have patience for it. However, there are passages that describe the protagonist, Ruthie, who's grown too tall and lanky and whose best friend and sister has begun to desert her. Lucille, the sister, has suddenly taken an interest in being "normal" and is developing a new persona and cultivating new acquaintances. Suddenly, she won't be seen walking to school with Ruthie and she won't speak to her during school hours, even though they see each other from time to time. That is exactly what Liz did, to a T. She would walk right past me in the cafeteria, looking directly at me without acknowledgement as if I were a stranger; then after school, she'd call and chat as if all was in order. After a few times, when she called I just told her that I couldn't talk right now and hung up, and after a couple of those she stopped calling. I'm embarrassed that I still dream about her when what happened must certainly be an ordinary occurrence in adolescence. Still, it was a betrayal and I took it very hard. I hadn't realized, until she was gone, how much Liz had become a part of me and how much I valued her. And like my marriage, I felt betrayed by myself as well, that I'd chosen someone who had the capacity to treat me that way. Yeah, when you look at it, my friendship with Liz and my marriage were parallel, like history repeating itself. I had no sexual desire for Liz, but then again, I had no sexual desire for my husband, either.
posted by Newpeep, N.D. (neurotic depressive) @ 9:52 AM
4 Comments:
My 'best friend' tore my heart out in 9th grade. I dream about her sometimes, too. I often wonder if that makes me a freak.
That didn't happen to me until my senior year in high school. Years later, my friend bumped into me while she was registering for her china. I think if she hadn't, I probably wouldn't have been invited to her wedding. As it was, I no showed. I just couldn't face all the heartache she'd caused...
BTW, if you can get a hold of the movie version of "Housekeeping", it's quite good.
Kate, for me it was 10th grade. If you're a freak, so am I, so I guess we're in good company. :-)
Balwearie, rilly? I didn't know they made a movie of Housekeeping. I wouldn't go to a wedding of Liz's if you paid me.
Yes, they made a movie of "Housekeeping". It was done... probably in the late 80's I'm thinking. The director was Bill Fosythe who is known for a number of flicks he did set in Scotland (the best being "Local Hero"). Anywho, I thought it was very well done but it's not that easy to find unless you buckle down and buy it from Amazon.
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