Book review of "Observatory Mansions" by Edward Carey
by Jacqueline Hendries
Arts | 5/28/02
Posted online at 10:44 PM EST on 5/26/02
Observatory Mansions
Edward Carey
Vintage Books
Edward Carey's new book, "Observatory Mansions" is filled with the strangest, most unique characters one could ever hope (or not hope) to find in a novel. Francis Orme, the protagonist, is a 37-year-old social anomaly. He poses as a statue for a living.
His main eccentricity — though there are many — is that he collects the random objects the people around him hold dear, and displays them in his private "museum" in a hidden corner of Observatory Mansions' basement. Over the course of the novel, however, Francis learns to favor humans over their possessions, an impossible seeming transformation catalyzed by a new neighbor, Miss Anna Tap.
The book's namesake is the crumbling British estate, converted into an apartment building, which the Orme family once owned. Its inhabitants are all misfits: Claire Higg, the woman who prefers the world of television to her own; Twenty, who believes she is a dog and barks, bites and urinates as such; Peter Bugg, Francis's former tutor who sweats and cries uncontrollably; and Francis's parents, who remain in bed for months and years on end.
But, the self-imposed ostracism of Observatory Mansions' inhabitants crumbles at the friendliness of Miss Tap. Though they are hostile at first, fearing change and satisfied in their sad lives, their mental disorders recede and their memories come back as Anna kindly presses at their fears. Francis is the last to succumb to her charms, after having done everything in his power to be unwelcoming.
Francis fears that her coming heralds a change that will be fatal to Observatory Mansions and its inhabitants; while this is true enough in the end, Anna Tap and her "power of chatter" provides the psychological salvation of Francis and his neighbors, as well.
The voice in which the novel is written takes some time to fully come together, but after the first 30 pages or so, "Observatory Mansions" is fully capable of swallowing a reader whole. Introducing the cast of bizarre characters takes some time, and because of their peculiarities, they are wholly unlikable until their fragile psyches have been prodded. Eventually, even the stubborn, self-important Francis becomes somewhat appealing, and by the end of the novel the reader is rooting for him and his neighbors to overcome their fears and live normal lives.
The end of the novel borders on sappy, but is strangely satisfying nonetheless. It does not offer happy endings for every character, but at least brings a sense of closure — and for the extremely tormented inhabitants of Observatory Mansions, that is a happy enough ending, indeed.
— Jacqueline Hendries
Edward Carey
Vintage Books
Edward Carey's new book, "Observatory Mansions" is filled with the strangest, most unique characters one could ever hope (or not hope) to find in a novel. Francis Orme, the protagonist, is a 37-year-old social anomaly. He poses as a statue for a living.
His main eccentricity — though there are many — is that he collects the random objects the people around him hold dear, and displays them in his private "museum" in a hidden corner of Observatory Mansions' basement. Over the course of the novel, however, Francis learns to favor humans over their possessions, an impossible seeming transformation catalyzed by a new neighbor, Miss Anna Tap.
The book's namesake is the crumbling British estate, converted into an apartment building, which the Orme family once owned. Its inhabitants are all misfits: Claire Higg, the woman who prefers the world of television to her own; Twenty, who believes she is a dog and barks, bites and urinates as such; Peter Bugg, Francis's former tutor who sweats and cries uncontrollably; and Francis's parents, who remain in bed for months and years on end.
But, the self-imposed ostracism of Observatory Mansions' inhabitants crumbles at the friendliness of Miss Tap. Though they are hostile at first, fearing change and satisfied in their sad lives, their mental disorders recede and their memories come back as Anna kindly presses at their fears. Francis is the last to succumb to her charms, after having done everything in his power to be unwelcoming.
Francis fears that her coming heralds a change that will be fatal to Observatory Mansions and its inhabitants; while this is true enough in the end, Anna Tap and her "power of chatter" provides the psychological salvation of Francis and his neighbors, as well.
The voice in which the novel is written takes some time to fully come together, but after the first 30 pages or so, "Observatory Mansions" is fully capable of swallowing a reader whole. Introducing the cast of bizarre characters takes some time, and because of their peculiarities, they are wholly unlikable until their fragile psyches have been prodded. Eventually, even the stubborn, self-important Francis becomes somewhat appealing, and by the end of the novel the reader is rooting for him and his neighbors to overcome their fears and live normal lives.
The end of the novel borders on sappy, but is strangely satisfying nonetheless. It does not offer happy endings for every character, but at least brings a sense of closure — and for the extremely tormented inhabitants of Observatory Mansions, that is a happy enough ending, indeed.
— Jacqueline Hendries
