The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

 

    The Dutch House tells the story of Danny and his sister Maeve who grow up in the suburbs of Philadelphia over the course of five decades. Danny is the book’s narrator. The two children are brought up in what the locals of their hometown refer to as the Dutch house. The house was obtained by their father Cyril Conroy after WW2 as a gift for his wife, but instead of a gift this house leads to ruin for those he loves. After the war their father pursues a career in real-estate renting out apartments in New York.

    This book is often referred to as a dark fairy tale, and I would have to agree that the onset of this novel shares commonality with fairy tales. At a young age Danny’s mother leaves their father to pursue other interests in life. After she leaves, Cyril takes an interest in another woman and remarries, and moves his new wife into the Dutch house with her two daughters. This new wife despises both Danny and Maeve and is determined to make their lives miserable. In this narrative we can draw various parallels with the wicked stepmother motif often found in fairy tales. This can be drawn from the way in which the stepmother views Danny and Maeve as second class citizens in their own home. After their father passes away, their stepmother wastes no time kicking Danny out of the Dutch house. With Maeve no longer a minor, Danny takes up residence with his sister.

    As the novel progresses, the two siblings learn their father has left a fund for Danny and his two stepdaughters to attend college. With Danny being the oldest of the three children, Maeve devises a plan to have Danny attend medical school to drain the fund, as a way to get revenge on their stepmother. While Danny goes along with Maeve’s plan, he is none too enthused. Instead his goal is to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue real estate. As the book progresses we see how both of the siblings lives unfold, and while they both may have been unwelcomed in the Dutch house by their stepmother they always seem to be drawn to meeting just outside of it.

    I recommend this book if you have an interest in historical fiction taking place in the decades after WW2, with regards to family dynamics. This book may also appeal to those looking for something that feels like a fairy tale written in modern times, but with a historical context.

Goodreads – 4.11 out of 5, Amazon –  4.4 out of 5