Within Arms Reach
- Author: Ann Napolitano
- Published: 2004
- Type: Fiction
- Pages: 332
- Finished Reading: November 2, 2024
- Personal Rating: ★★★
- GoodReads Rating: 3.5 (12,999 ratings)
This novel tells the story of the McLaughlin family: grandmother Catherine, mother Kelly, her husband Louis, and 2 daughters Gracie and Lila. Each of the characters is going through a personal crisis but none have the tools to work through them. Gracie tells us
No one in my mother’s family ever talks about anything that can be categorized as unpleasant or having to do with emotions, and, as a result they no longer have anything to say
…
The McLaughlins couldn’t spill their woes or ask for help even if they wanted to, because they don’t have the vocabulary. They are stranded with themselves, convinced that the only way is to silently persevere.
Page 6
The novel works through if/how the family can deal with their problems amid the dynamics of their difficult interpersonal relationships. Ann Napolitano tells the story by having each chapter voiced by on one of the characters. This approach is an excellent choice for this story as it highlights how each character struggles for answers and comfort but are locked in their own world without the ability to know, understand, help or be helped by their family members.
To her credit, as Catherine works through the first stage of her crisis she recognizes the failings of her parents as well as her husband and herself.
I have been happy, in a new, thankful way, to see each of my children … I have struggled to express my gratitude, to speak to them in a new way; perhaps this afternoon I will find a successful method.
Page 68
Her methods have mixed results. Louis and the four women work through their issues to different levels of insight and improvement.
The number one piece of advice to authors is “write what you know.” Looking at this novel alongside her most recent one “Hello, Beautiful” it’s apparent Ann Napolitano knows about emotionally distant parents. Early in that novel we learn that William was never loved by his parents.
As I’ve said before, in my 1970s liberal arts education there was a school of thought that said we need not, in fact should not, look at the biography of the artist when examining their work. Rather, we should follow Thomas Aquinas’ advice to look at any piece of art (novel, painting, poem) as a stand alone, distinct object and judge it through the design conditions of wholeness, harmony, and radiance. In my idealistic youth I believed in that approach wholeheartedly; especially when reading James Joyce and similar writers. However, I’ve struggled with this notion over the last 50 years. So often, the author’s life is right there in the heart of the story. In this case it’s is apparent that Ann has first hand knowledge of cold, reserved families. In her Author’s Note she reveals she wrote this novel to understand her own grandmother.
I wondered if I could invent the truth, because i my family the real truth was not readily available
[Page 318]
But so what, it’s not like we can or should psychoanalyze Ann Napolitano. Maybe it’s nothing but a data point. What do you think? Leave a comment!
When I picked this novel up on my e-reader I saw the publication date was 2024 and thought it was Napolitano’s latest offering. But in the Author’s Note we see it is an early work (the hardback was published in 2004) for which she struggled to find a publisher. Through her failures Ann persevered in writing:
But alone at my small kitchen table, I realized that writing was turning on lightbulbs inside me that were otherwise dark. I was more myself, more of what I might become, while I was writing, I knew then that whether or not I ever published a book, I would continue to write for myself. I can’t explain in words how liberating that was, how grateful I am to have that information even now.
Page 318
Pursuing your passion is an excellent way to discover who you are.
Finally; as a side note I find it mildly interesting that the e-book cover is a painting (watercolor?) similar in style to the cover of “Hello, Beautiful”. However, the image on the original hardback is a much sparer photograph. I suppose the change is an effort to gain from the earlier novel.
