A View of the Harbour

 

A View of the Harbour / Elizabeth Taylor
London: Virago, 2006, c1947
313 p.

I wanted to read another Elizabeth Taylor after I finished Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. I was intrigued by her style and the way she looks at women's lives. Fortunately, I also had this novel on my shelves. 

A View of the Harbour was Taylor's third novel, and features a novelist and painter as characters. Their relationships to their art, and interactions with the other characters, are an important part of this story. 

It revolves around a small cast who all interact and affect one another. Robert Cazabon is the town doctor; his wife Beth is the novelist, who is described by her best friend and next door neighbour Tory as having her head in the clouds and not seeing reality. However, the reality is that Tory and Robert are having an affair. Only the young adult daughter of the Cazabons, Prudence, sees it. 

There's also a newcomer to town, Bertram, a retired naval officer who is staying at the pub and convinced that he's going to become a painter. He spends most of this time chatting people up and visiting other townspeople, rather than painting though. He always means well, but causes problems to others with his actions, however unintended. 

Added to this we get to know Mrs. Bracey and her daughters; she's a longtime local who is now housebound and spends her time gazing out the window at the harbour -- and gossiping about everyone in town. She is controlling and expects her daughters to look after her and bring her news constantly; she's a strong personality and interferes in a potential romance of one of her daughters. Bertram, however, finds her fascinating, and brings interest to her life by visiting frequently. 

All of these characters are kind of the point of this book. The plot is not much more than everyday occurences, with the heightened emotions of a secret affair and the aimlessness that many of the characters feel. While Beth might be blinded to life by her writing, she is also the only character who feels engaged and purposeful thanks to her work. Robert, as a doctor, might be close behind with feeling some meaning in his life, but many of the others are simply adrift. 

But the flow of this moment in time is disrupted when Mrs. Bracey dies, and everything else seems to shake out of place at the same time. People leave, the harbour is changed, and life will be different. This feels like it's the 'message' as much as there is one: nothing stays the same. 

The joy of the book is definitely in the writing. Her style is precise and pries so forensically into the hidden layers of each individual, the unhappiness, agony, secrets held close to each person. Her characters are not always sympathetic but they are sure believable. And the setting, which seems like it should be expansive -- sea view, tourists, fresh air -- is suffocating and claustrophobic for this set of people. Very impressive reading.