The Story of Lucy Gault: A Novel
by William Trevor
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Book Summary Information
Author: William TrevorEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-08-26
ISBN: 014200331X
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of The Story of Lucy Gault: A Novel
Book Review: A parable stretching every child's worst nightmare across an entire life
Summary: 5 Stars
In his latest novel, Trevor manages to pack a story spanning most of the twentieth century into a little over 200 pages. Part parable, part bildungsroman, part romance, "The Story of Lucy Gault" describes a family who, while preparing to flee their Protestant estate during the Irish troubles, endures a far more devastating loss. But the tragedy that ultimately drives them away for good is largely a result of a series of horrifying misinterpretations.
The book opens when a band of local dissident youths attempts an act that shatters the tranquility and security of the Gaults, who convince themselves they must flee Ireland, if only temporarily. Only nine years old, their daughter Lucy runs away, hoping to prevent her parents from leaving. Together, both acts destroy their lives of the perpetrators, of Lucy's parents, and of the family's servants and friends. Attempting to atone for the unintended consequences of her childish act, Lucy puts her entire life on hold: "She waited, she would have said, and in doing so kept faith." The nature of the affair and the events that lead to it are so cleverly and admirably set up that I will resist the temptation to reveal any further details; I was surprised by the ease with which Trevor both lays and springs his plot's traps in the opening section.
Many readers, however, have questioned the plausibility that the Gaults, refugees from both the political situation and their domestic tragedy, would so completely and permanently abandon their home, but Trevor is not writing a novel of historical realism. Instead, he presents both an allegory, unveiling this family's calamity as a mirror of Irish-British tensions, and a fairy tale gone bad, showing how even well-intentioned acts can wreak havoc on our lives. "The Story of Lucy Gault" takes every child's worst nightmare and makes a life out of it.
"Lucy Gault" reminded me at times of some of Henry James's better stories and, more surprisingly, of Shirley Hazzard's "The Great Fire." Both novels deal with loss, with escape, with war, with thwarted love, with improbable quests, with redemption; Trevor's style, too, is oddly similar to Hazzard's, although his prose is far more accessible. He manages to compact limitless detail into few words; these sad lives are exposed in a series of cryptically spun vignettes that leave much to the reader's imagination. Yet Lucy herself is a believable and fully realized character; even when you shake your head in dismay and disapproval at her decisions, you can (almost) understand why she makes them.
In spite of its hushed, understated tone, this tight little book has the feel of a thriller; once I began it, I was compelled to read it straight through, eager to see what happens next. I then read it again, sketching in the details I missed. In Lucy Gault, Trevor has created one of his most memorable and haunting characters.
Summary of The Story of Lucy Gault: A Novel
The stunning new novel from highly acclaimed author William Trevor is a brilliant, subtle, and moving story of love, guilt, and forgiveness. The Gault family leads a life of privilege in early 1920s Ireland, but the threat of violence leads the parents of nine-year-old Lucy to decide to leave for England, her mother's home. Lucy cannot bear the thought of leaving Lahardane, their country house with its beautiful land and nearby beach, and a dog she has befriended. On the day before they are to leave, Lucy runs away, hoping to convince her parents to stay. Instead, she sets off a series of tragic misunderstandings that affect all of Lahardane's inhabitants for the rest of their lives.
A difficult novel for any parent to read, William Trevor's The Story of Lucy Gault recounts the tale of a young girl whose Protestant family is driven from its rural Irish home in 1921. Eight-year-old Lucy is in love with Lahardane: the old house itself, the woods, the nearby beach, the shells and fir cones and sticks that she collected like treasure. The day before her family is scheduled to flee Ireland, leaving the house and furnishings in the care of trusted servants, Lucy runs away. Her parents, finding a scrap of her clothing on the beach, assume the worst. Days later, they leave Lahardane, choosing not to settle in England, as they had planned, but to roam Europe in their grief, leaving no forwarding address. But Lucy has not killed herself; she's only broken her leg in the woods. Eventually she makes it back to the house to find her parents gone. She spends her childhood waiting to be forgiven for her wicked act, postponing all happiness until she can be reunited with her mother and father. Revealing more of the plot will spoil this lovely novel for its many readers. It is enough to note that Trevor's characteristic depth and emotional complexity are fully realized here in the watchful reticence of his young heroine and the strange but beautiful way she finds to express her own forgiveness. --Regina Marler
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