The Hunters: Two Short Novels

by Claire Messud

Book Overview

In two jewel-like novellas, Claire Messud explores isolation and the nature of love. "A Simple Tale" is the moving story of Maria Poniatowski, an aging Ukrainian woman who, after liberation from... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0151005885
• ISBN13: 9780151005888
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Engrossing

Two novellas in one book. The first, "A Simple Tale," was my favorite. (That's the thing with more than one story in a book, there will always be disagreement about which is best...but it does help illustrate the mercurial nature of book reviews in general!) A Simple Tale is a beautifully rendered, elegant and poignant tale of a Toronto housemaid's life, examined primarily through her relationships with an elderly woman she cleans for and her son's family, as well as flashbacks to her youth as an Eastern European refugee ("DP"). Messud portrays how Maria Poniatowski speaks, acts, and interprets others, and allows the reader to see how people -- who cannot possibly understand her history -- relate and react to her. Messud never misses in her portrayals and she spikees them; whether it's the affected wealthy woman calling Maria "gel" and tootling "rig a jig jig! presto! voila!" -- the dogs of another employer "whose chronic, vindictive ill temper created a great need for cleaning," or Maria's daughter-in-law (who polishes off "an entire mixed-meats sub and three glazed crullers, along with a bottle of Carlsberg for which she did not bother with a glass.."), this psychologically sophisticated, semi-comic tragedy gives the reader an extremely interesting and well-resolved look into her character's reality. The Hunters is a more experimental novella, in that we do not know the gender of the narrator and the ending of the novel - the "whodunnit," for someone is killed - is unresolved. Someone has rented an apartment in a not-very-fashionable section of London for its cheerful interior and telescopic view of the neighboring buildings. The narrator begins to interpret what s/he sees, and the reader is left to decide on the degree the narrator is "reliable." It is a frightening story, because of the way the narrator objectifies and dislikes a particular neighbor: is she truly that objectionable? This is another story that examines insider/outsider, the misunderstandings that occur from differing realities, in Messud's well-crafted prose.

Artistry of Words

Wonderful introduction to an author who will surely make her mark in contemporary literature. Messud utilizes the pen to paper as would a painter use their brush to a canvas. In both short novels----or novellas, Messud engages the reader into the full depth of a story in the shortness of 100 pages each. Unlike other reviewers, I was not prejudiced by having read The Last Life first and so disappointed with these stories. (although it sits next to me as I write because I can't wait to see more of her work). In A Simple Plan, we learn the whole life of Maria to who and what she has become today from her plight as a child. The Hunters story immediately strikes the reader without ever revealing the gender of the first person narrative. The most engaging part of both of these stories is that the language makes them come alive, almost dance off the page. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more of her work.

Wow!

Wow! This is Good Stuff. If books were dessert, this would be one where you savor each bite. Then you would be tempted to ask for seconds and guess what? The author has already generously provided! It would be hard to say which is the better plate, the first or the second; both are rich without being weighty. I loved the intimate portraits of the people in the stories--the personal connection created by the eloquent disclosure of their thoughts. This is a book worthy of kicking off your shoes, curling up in a comfy chair and allowing yourself to be absorbed by.

A Fierce Young Voice

Claire Messud's THE HUNTED is surprising work, and what most surprises is that this young writer has mastered a demanding literary form, the nouvella. In "A Simple Tale" she enters the mind of a World War II survivor of Hitler's labor camps and traces this woman's consciousness from youth to her older years as a Toronto cleaning woman. All of the characters in this nouvella are fully fleshed out and thoroughly interesting. "The Hunters" is set in contemporary London and deals with the psychology of fear and suggestibility. To say that it is a contemporary take on James'"The Turn of the Screw" is to suggest its creepiness and fascination. not to dismiss the nouvella as trite hommage. The book is a double dose of adventurous thinking and accomplished writing from a writer who has found her voice at a very young age. Highly recommended.