Review of “Elaine” by Will Self – All About My Mother

Will Self has a history of creating novels with eccentric premises. His past works have featured settings like the afterlife, a world governed by chimpanzees, and a post-apocalyptic society driven by the misogynistic views of a London cab driver. His characters have indulged in extreme behaviors such as necrophilia and battling swarms of sharks. It might come as a surprise, then, that his latest novel, “Elaine,” is a stark departure from his usual fare. It is a meticulously detailed psychological study of a 1950s housewife. The narrative revolves around her daily routines of cooking, cleaning, and longing for one of her husband’s colleagues. Notably, the housewife character is inspired by Self’s mother, based on diaries discovered after her death.

The novel is set in the mid-1950s, several years before Self’s birth. Elaine, the protagonist, is a Jewish-American housewife married to an Ivy League academic. She leads a life filled with frustration, which the reader experiences intimately. The narration in the book is a close third person, capturing Elaine’s acerbic, bitter, and occasionally brilliant voice. Although the character is fictional, aspects of her story echo the life of Self’s real mother. Interspersed in the narrative are italicized first-person snippets that seem to be direct quotes from the actual diaries, adding a layer of reality to the fiction. When Elaine describes losing her temper with her child, presumably representing Self’s half-brother, the reader can’t help but think of the author’s own childhood. Self, as the author/son, intricately connects with Elaine, offering a profound depth that immerses the reader entirely into her world.

The action primarily unfolds in Ithaca, New York, where Elaine is a stay-at-home mother married to a Milton scholar she deeply resents. Descriptions of her husband’s “meagre, hairless chest” and “sex-hungry little simper” fuel her disdain for him. Although he was supportive during her breakdowns, this only intensifies her detestation. Elaine harbors animosity toward almost everyone: her gossiping friends, her inept psychiatrist, her cat, and even her lover, whom she sees as both captivating and boorish. The core of her disdain, however, is directed at herself. Elaine’s writings, which she burns in self-loathing, reflect her view of herself as a “beast” burdened by the thought of infanticide. The novel offers an extraordinary portrayal of a woman’s soul under the strains of 20th-century misogyny.

In exposing all the dirtiest laundry of his mother’s psyche, Self has perversely elevated and honored her.

As a work of historical fiction, the novel vividly depicts the academic world of the time, marked by petty rivalries, rampant alcoholism, and social gatherings filled with infidelity. Elaine’s psychoanalyst, depicted through Freud’s lens, views women as seductresses or penis enviers, showcasing the era’s deep-seated misogyny. This pervasive discrimination even infiltrates Elaine’s psyche, exacerbating the inherent conflict between men and women. Self’s use of 1950s American intellectual language—rich with terms like “infra dig,” “picayune,” “yakety-yak,” and “lothario”—along with liberal doses of French expressions, authentically captures the period. The McCarthy era backdrop further complicates Elaine’s life, as her husband, a secret Marxist, engages in hushed political discussions, much to apolitical Elaine’s annoyance.

The novel is packed with brilliant observations and luxuriant prose. For instance, the simple act of flushing a toilet is described as triggering “local – but total – devastation,” from which “civilisation soon arises anew.” Another example is the vivid portrayal of Elaine and her husband leaving a party, where their exit shoves the social event “deep into the past” as they climb into their “damp jail of the Buick.”

Elaine is essentially an unlikable narrator, often making her presence uncomfortable. Despite her degradation, her wit and bluntness make her a fascinating character. By revealing his mother’s deepest, darkest thoughts, Self paradoxically elevates and honors her. “Elaine” stands out not only as a significant work of art but also as an unexpected act of filial generosity.

• Elaine by Will Self is published by Grove UK (£18.99). Delivery charges may apply.

Source: The Observer