Wednesday, March 18, 2009

REVIEW: Heir to the Glimmering World, by Cynthia Ozick

Heir to the Glimmering World, by Cynthia Ozick. Published 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Literary Fiction.

Set in Depression-era New York, Heir to the Glimmering World is the story of young Rose Meadows, 18 years old and on her own in a heartless world.

She's an employee in the home of the Mitwissers, a family of immigrant German Jews headed by an imposing scholar of an ancient heretical Jewish sect, and his wife, mentally ill and secluded. They have five children and Rose becomes a nanny, nursemaid and secretary all at once.

She's ended up with the Mitwissers after the death of her neglectful father and abandonment by her cousin Bertram, enamored of heartless Communist Ninel nee Miriam, who turns her out. In fact, one theme of the novel is abandonment and the callousness of just about every character in the book towards Rose is enough to make me blanch. Another theme of the novel is inheritance in its various forms- inheritance of culture, of money, of history and of a place in the world, and the title, although most directly applicable to one character in particular, is in one way or another a reference to all.

This character most directly referred to is James a'Bair, the grown-up heir to a children's book fortune. He is a mercurial man whose fame and wealth has alieniated him from the world and left him on its margins; something about the Mitwisser clan attracts him, and he becomes their benefactor. He pays for their home, their food, Mr. Mitwisser's scholarship, and everything else the family might need. And he has an eye on their oldest daughter, Anneliese, a cold young woman who is kept at home away from the influences of America and assimilation.

Heir to the Glimmering World is the first novel I've read by author Cynthia Ozick, and it was something of a revelation. She's an absolutely magnificent writer; she has an erudite, literary style and has created a compelling character-driven novel of ideas. And it the nuances of character and personality that drive the book; very little happens in the way of plot. The story is propelled by the indignities large and small the characters visit upon each other, fueled by the desperation of the times and the characters' individual vulnerabilities. It's not a sunny story, and I would characterize the end as merely inevitable rather than happy.

Heir reminds me a little bit of The Believers (click the title for my review), Zoe Heller's just-published novel about another unhappy family of Jewish intellectuals, but where Heller's characters fail to engage, Ozick succeeds in making the Mitwissers, and even James, tolerable by investing each one with some singular passion- scholarship, or family, or freedom, and by making Rose such a sympathetic, intelligent and careful observor. Readers who enjoyed The Believers would probably find Heir to the Glimmering World to be a more highbrow, more accomplished story in a similar vein. I wouldn't call it my favorite book, but I admire Ozick her evident skill and look forward to reading more of her work.

Rating: BACKLIST

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this book for review from the publisher.

10 comments:

Ana S. said...

This sounds interesting, and plus set during the Depression! For some reason that's one of my favourite time periods to read about.

Anonymous said...

I'm really enjoying books set in the Depression now, too.

Kaye said...

The Believers, hmmmnn, that was a book I kept thinking I can't stand these characters(especially Audrey) and yet I felt compelled to finish it. I thought the end was out of character.I won't say any more due to spoilers. What did you think of the book as a whole?

Marie Cloutier said...

Kaye, short answer- two stars. you can click on the title in that last paragraph for my full review. :-)

Unknown said...

Great review!
What I find interesting about the book is, that Mitwisser is the German word for accessory or confidant...

Unknown said...

Thanks for the review. The author is very well known in Jewish circles.
I have wanted to read her for awhile.
Oh, gosh I did, a short story, called The Shawl, very depressing but a good writer. I may pick up glittering soon. Thanks for the review. Now, I am off to do school work. School goes back Monday. YUCK,
boy does the time fly.

Dave said...

Marie, I had much the same reaction when we read this for my book club. Though I liked Ozick's writing, the book seemed to plod along under a grey sky.

LorMil said...

I've had this book for a while on my TBR stack...and it has carried over on the stack for 2 years, while I put other books in front of it.
~~Lorri

Sandra said...

I enjoyed this novel very much, but then I love everything Cynthia Ozick ever wrote. I just can't get enough of her.

Zibilee said...

This book sounds very good. It is going on the list for sure, and I think you did an excellent job with the review!