Feather Man Book

This novel is the story of a young woman's search for her identity, a search that goes through several men, beginning with the old neighbor who molests her, and ending with his equally self-centered son. The structure of the novel is organized into the progression of four men's impact on her life: Lionel (her rapist), Peter (the too-eager first lover), Redmond (Lionel's cruel son through whom the narrator believes the past can be made right), and Paul (the father-like gallery owner). Despite these four distinctions, one man has as much an impact on the narrator's life, if not more: the father who withheld his love, went mad, and abandoned his family for his mistress. The memories of these men continuously haunt the protagonist, whose name is not revealed to the reader until she has secured her identity.[return][return]But has she really secured her identity, or merely just freed herself from her childish attachment to the family that stole her innocence? A hallmark of her relationships with men is how each of them tries to change her. Even Paul, the kind gallery owner who seems most suitable for her, eventually gets her into a skirt against her normal routine, and says the haunting words that echo her rapist Lionel: "Whose popsy are you?" The question remains unanswered, but even Lionel never let her answer it and would further inform her: "You're mine." While the skirt can be interpreted as the narrator's relaxation from the confines of her past, Paul's last words in the novel are chilling, and I wonder what the author meant by it. Is Paul a vessel through which the narrator can explore her newfound identity as an artist and independent woman, or is he just another man wielding the puppet strings? I think it's telling that the narrator's symbol of independence, the single bed, is taken over by Paul in the room he once designated as just hers, but eventually houses them both. I suppose the consolation is that she will be well cared for, but that seems to damper the themes of independence and identity. We don't want to dislike Paul, but we do wonder at his motives. The narrator, meanwhile, gets the loving father figure she always craved. [return][return]Despite the troubling end, the novel is very well written. Australia comes alive with the stifling heat that matches the stifling relationships, and the wildlife particular to the area. The narrator is a character with whom we can identify and sympathize even at her meanest, even when our patience is tried during her relationship with Redmond. The beginning of the novel is hard to take, as the narrator's search for fatherly love renders her vulnerable to Lionel's advances. Yet it is all written believably, her pain and rejection ultimately real and all the more harrowing. [return][return]There is so much to discuss in this novel: the narrator's mother alone could take pages of analysis, as could the themes of mirrors and oceans, including the relationship of Redmond and Pammy as a reflection of each other. With so many nuances, this novel has many layers to pick at.