Collaborators

COLLABORATORS
by Janet Kauffman

 Nomination: PEN/Faulkner 1987

 Date Read: June 3, 2020

 Collaborators' prose is almost dream-like as it explores the relationship between a mother and daughter, a beautiful meditation on an unbreakable bond. Andrea Doria's mother, Janet, is patient and loving, not so rooted in her Mennonite faith as to be oppressive. The blurb of the book states she "...reinvents reality to suit her own subversive design..." but I appreciated the unique way she saw the world.

 After Janet's stroke, she sometimes seems like her old self is reappearing and at others, she seems like a harsher version of her former self. Janet wrestles with the leftovers of a mind trying desperately to reorder itself. AD now sees her mother as someone fragile, moving quicker to compensate for her slowness. Through Janet's gradual recovery, AD couldn't determine who in her family to pity most, so "pity no one" became her mantra.

 I found this novella to be moving and quietly beautiful, creating lovely scenes of concern and care as a family navigates a personal tragedy.

 Side note: I find it strange that Mennonites are growing tobacco.

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