The Ghost at the Table by Suzanne Berne
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What We're Reading:
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Guilty of often choosing a book by its cover, I was reluctant to pick up this galley, despite the beautifully designed cover. I think I avoided it because of the "ghost" in the title. I don't really read ghost stories. Had I known this book had nothing to do with the supernatural, I might have taken a closer look sooner. Instead it was "The Kansas City Star" which prompted me after they listed "The Ghost at the Table" as one of their Notable Books of 2006. The protagonist, Cynthia Fiske, is reluctant to go to her sister's home in Concord for Thanksgiving because of the strange vibe in their relationship. She finally acquiesces, telling herself that she can do research for her new book during the trip, traveling to nearby Hartford to the home of Mark Twain (a subject subconsciously chosen because Twain's dysfunctional family eerily mirrors her own). The story of "The Ghost at the Table" takes place over one Thanksgiving weekend (which, by chance, is exactly when I read it). Afraid of facing Thanksgiving--and each other--alone, a rather eccentric group is invited to join the family for dinner. Cynthia and Frances's father is present for the weekend... on a stop en route from his home to the nursing home. Frances's doctor husband Walter (who Frances thinks is having an affair... and he is) invites an Egyptian resident and his wife and baby. Frances's older daughter, Sarah, announced that she was bringing her lab partner, Arlee, home with her and, by the way, Arlee is vegan. (She fails to mention that "Arlee" is short for "Arlen," who is male, black and gay.) Frances also invites Wen-Yi Cheng, the math tutor of her younger daughter, Jane, as well as Frances's design assistant, Mary Ellen, with whom she suspects Walter is having the affair (he's not). If this plot weren't so rich with psychoses, depression and death, it would be a comedy. To an unbiased observer, this reunion could be a great study in perspective. You see, Cynnie, the youngest of three girls, is the narrator, so we gain her perspective through her thoughts. Yet when Frances tells stories to her family, Cynnie becomes incredulous, wondering how they could remember things so differently. Full of misconceptions, family jealousy, and dark secrets, this incredible story of family is probably more resonant than many works of non-fiction. Berne, who won the Orange Prize for her first novel, "A Crime in the Neighborhood," has been described as having a writing style that's deceptively simple. It was so deceptively simple that I thought to myself as I read along, "what makes this notable?" But Berne has a gift. She plants a seed which only begins to sprout as you read. And after you finish the book, it grows and grows as your thoughts keep returning to her tale. I finished this book a full two weeks ago, and I've read several pieces since... yet I can't get "The Ghost at the Table" out of my mind. That is notable indeed. Review by Beth Golay, December 14, 2006
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