Whistler

by Ann Patchett

The beautiful cover of Whistler depicts a horse. Whistler’s story is essential to this work of fiction although the horse is not actually a character in the book, which is most definitely character driven. Patchett has created a tale that shows both the dark and the light sides of her characters. Not all of them are likable, but all are lovable—and flawed.

Daphne and her sister Leda are the adult children of their mother Abigail’s first (failed) marriage to Buddy who wanted to be a good parent, but really did not know how to parent and was unhappy in his job. He left the family to return to his parents’ traditional life as a lobster fisherman. He demonstrated his love, not by what he said, but by what he did for the family—showing up to shovel snow, keeping the batteries in the car’s emergency kit up-to-date.

Daphne is married to Jonathan, an older man (70) who is somewhat insecure in Daphne’s love because his first wife died of cancer and because older men are perpetually attracted to Daphne who is only 53. Jonathan has a caring way of showing his love to Daphne, never overburdening her with jealous behavior.

Skip and Polly have been friends to Eddie, Abigail’s second husband, going back to college days. Abigail divorces Eddie after a few years of marriage, and Daphne has always believed it was her fault. Much of this book explores the relationships of these characters and what actually happened to cause Abigail to insist on a divorce.

These connections are an important part of Whistler revealing that people in our past are still a part of us. Polly has achieved the “perfect” life materialistically; but something is still missing, and she works to control the people in her life with “Stay with me.” When those efforts reach a climax, Daphne says of Polly, “I was still undecided as to whether I disliked her intensely or felt terribly sorry for her.”

Patchett’s writing is excellent and filled with little lines, some poignant, some principled, sprinkled throughout the text. In talking about smoking she has Eddie remark, “Children are righteously abstemious where any pleasures not available to them are concerned.” Later, he shares an important decision with Daphne: “I’m never going to be angry at anyone ever again.” Out of all the wonderful writing in this book, my favorite passage is the last page. Don’t rush to read it first, however, as the rest of the book is the background for these wonderful lines.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Fiction

Notes: I enjoyed my discussion of Whistler with my book group and credit many of the ideas in this review to individual members.  They added so much to my perspective of this book.

Publication: 2026—Harper Collins

Memorable Lines:

“I wanted him to be in love with me. That’s what I wanted. … It’s an awful business,” she said. “Loving another person.”  “It is,” I said, and for the first time in a long time, I remembered that I loved her, or more precisely, I remembered she was a person who had lived her own autonomous life full of mistakes and disappointments and judgments and thwarted love.

How was it that a weekday trip to a museum with my husband had plunged me back into childhood at the age of fifty-three? I knew what Leda would say. She would say it was because childhood never leaves us. We seal the room up and cover it in sheetrock. We dry and sand and paint, but the pocket of history remains and sooner or later someone always winds up tapping on the wall, commenting on the way it sounds strangely hollow in there, and then the whole thing comes tumbling down.

“Your mother and I both have a small shard of glass in our hearts where the other is concerned: her disappointment, my shame, her regret and my regret. This helps to pry it loose. All these years later, you can still pry something loose. There’s no sense carrying shame and regret into the next life.”