A copyediting friend alerted me to Canadian poet Anne Michaels’ Held, her first novel since The Winter Vault was published back in 2010, urging me to read it. Michaels is the author of Fugitive Pieces which made a deep impression on me when I read it many years ago. Held is her third novel, making three in almost three decades, an indication of the care and thought with which she approaches her craft. This sublimely beautiful book opens with a wounded man, slipping in and out of consciousness on a battlefield in France in 1917, and ends in the Gulf of Finland where a spark of attraction is both made and remembered.
To the historian, every battlefield is different; to the philosopher, every battlefield is the same.
John lies next to his comrade, not knowing whether he will live or die, remembering his mother and his beloved wife, Helena, to whom he returns wounded in both body and mind. He picks up his photography business, Helena painting glorious backdrops, but is disconcerted by what his portraits reveal. Anna, their child, grows up to play her part on the battlefield, patching up where she can. Her own child will follow in her footsteps, drawn to dangerous places where her skills are most needed and where she meets her war correspondent husband. Their daughter will catch the eye of a young man whose own parents were caught up in another conflict. By the end of this intricately woven novel, many paths will have crossed, and many stories played out, several of them on the world’s stage.
Do you think it’s possible… … for good to survive long enough to outlast, to wait, to endure, while evil consumes itself?
Michaels’ novel is made up of a series of gorgeously poetic snapshots unfolding the family history which begins with John and Helena. Her narrative explores themes of war, love, loss, memory and connection, posing profound questions about the human state, all expressed in arrestingly beautiful prose. It’s an extraordinary piece of fiction, and a hugely affecting one, at times suffused with an awful, aching yearning for what is lost. It demands a great deal of thought and concentration from its readers but more than repays them. Impossible to do justice to a novel like this in just a few words but, like my friend, I urge you to read it. I’ve lost the habit of rereading but with this novel, one reading is not nearly enough.
Bloomsbury Books: London 9781526659118 240 pages Hardback
On my list! I loved Fugitive Pieces.
I’d say Held is even better.
This does sound like a powerful and thought provoking book.
It’s extraordinary, and so beautifully written.
I absolutely loathed Fugitive Pieces, partly because of Michaels’s tendency to make sweeping, gnomic statements, which it appears she also does in Held. It’s quite rare for me to meet an author whom I simply don’t get on with—I’m generally pretty good at picking things I think I’ll like on one level or another—but Michaels is one (and Elif Shafak another). No fault on either side, simply not my cup of tea, but clearly it really works for many readers!
Definitely not one for you them: Held takes gnomic to new heights!
😀
I really want to read Fugitive Pieces. This novel sounds so deeply poignant. Micheals must be a very thoughtful writer, approaching these subjects carefully.
I think so. I wasn’t so keen on The Winter Vault but found both Fugutive Pieces and Held deeply moving.
Lovely review of this book, Susan! I’ve got on hold thanks to you. 🙂
Thanks so much, Naomi. Not an easy one to write about. I hope you’ll be as blown away by it as I am.
I adored her book Fugitive Pieces so this sounds like I would also love it.
I’m sure you will, Cathy. Gorgeous writing which leaves you with so much to think about.
Sounds a rich book with many layers to peel back. I’ve been hearing very good things about this one and will keep an eye out.
Can’t recommend it highly enough, Mallika.
I remember really loving Fugitive Pieces although it’s entirely faded from my memory now. You’ve prompted me to look out for this one and find time for a re-read!
Definitely worth a reread. Her writing is meticulously crafted: intensely cerebral yet so beautiful.
Oddly enough, I’d never come across Anne Michaels until recently and now her name and this book are popping up everywhere. I’ll definitely keep her in mind for my subscription readers.
She’s one of the finest writers I’ve read, Jacqui, although her work won’t appeal to everyone.
Oddly, I’ve had had Fugitive Pieces on my shelves and unread for ages. You’ve convinced me I need to put this right. Perhaps I should begin with Held though, since that seems to be the book of the moment.
I think that depends on how you feel about fragmented narratives. Fugitive Pieces has a more conventional structure but both are superb,
I’ll just have to see!
That’s interesting. What types of readers would likely struggle with / dislike it? Just to give me a feel for the ones to avoid!
Sorry I should have clarified that! The narrative is very fragmented – lots of episodic vignettes. It’s a style I enjoy, if done well, but readers who prefer a linear narrative may dislike, or even hate it.
Got it. Thanks, that’s very helpful!
I loved Fugitive Pieces and this sounds even better. Going on my list, thanks.
Delighted to hear that!
I’m so looking forward to reading this! I love Anne Michael’s work.
I think this one is her best novel so far. I do hope you enjoy it.
I haven’t read any books by this author, but after reading your review, I am intrigued. I will have to add this one to my TBR.
Delighted to hear that, Sarah. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I read this carefully as I hope to read this soon. Like so many, Fugitive Pieces had a huge impact on me too. Glad to see how much like enjoyed it.
I thought Fugitive Pieces was an extraordinary novel and, for me, Held is even more so. I hope you are as impressed by it as I am when you get to it.
I’m excited now. It’s not due to published in Aust until the 28th Nov – I can’t wait!
I absolutely loved Fugitive Pieces and reread it a few times back when it was still fairly fresh. (The film is done well, too, IMO, although perhaps best appreciated at some distance from the novel.) BUT I have struggled to get the nerve to read her other books, emotionally, I mean, not that anything specific about them put me off. I continue to listen to her in interview and have attended a couple of events where she was presenting or participating, and I do want to read these others, but her work does leave a mark (though in an ultimately positive way).
Fugitive Pieces made quite an impression on me but I found Held even more affecting. She takes such great care over her writing. One reading is not nearly enough to do it justice. I do hope you will read it, Marcie.
In connection with the title of your post, as a piece of information, when a Christian Orthodox passes away, we say, May his/her memory be eternal!
And the end of the funeral service ends with a gut wrenching melody (Russian version), where we sing three times Memory Eternal.
Thank you for that. It sounds a very stirring end.
I have just finished my third reading of this book – it is so wonderful. The prose is so beautiful; the snapshots of the lives so brilliantly lit up; and the preoccupations of the writer – memory, death, soul etc – so important. I love ‘Held’, its structure, its language and its profundity. A really important book. All serious readers should confront ‘Held’ and allow themselves to be… well… held. xx
I’m so glad you loved it, Douglas. I can see that Michaels’ fragmented narrative style would appeal to you! Given this week’s events, her exploration of the fundamental themes of humanity seems all the more important. xx