Throughout my reading of Ann Packer’s new novel, “Some Bright Nowhere,” all I could keep thinking was “poor Eliot.”
It is strange to be worried about Eliot, given that it is Eliot’s wife, Claire, who has recently decided to cease treatment for breast cancer that has metastasized beyond contemporary medicine’s ability to hold it at bay. It’s been eight years, and as the novel opens, there are only months left.
By all accounts, including his own, Eliot has been a caring, capable and willing caretaker for Claire. Once a successful executive, he has taken advantage of that success to retire and dedicate his life to Claire’s needs. Their marriage has been as solid as anyone would wish, mutually faithful, loving and parents to two grown children, Abby (a pediatrician) and Josh (a talented but struggling would-be singer/songwriter).
Claire is going to die in “three to six months,” but not long after she chooses palliative care only, she breaks Eliot’s heart, saying that in these final weeks and months, she wants her closest female friends, Holly and Michelle, to be her caretakers, rather than Eliot. Eliot will move out (to Holly’s) and Holly and Michelle will move in. Eliot will visit, but he will no longer be central in Claire’s life as she approaches death.
Poor Eliot.
It is a heartbreaking scenario that is almost hard to wrap one’s head around, though Packer makes the reader believe it. Claire is motivated by what she recalls from her single friend Susan’s passing, a congress of feminine energy and a celebration of life. Eliot is reassured by a friend from his men’s cooking group that he had no choice. He loves his wife. This is her dying wish. How could he say no?
Eliot tries to respect Claire’s wishes, coming when invited and announced, but it is difficult, and he lapses, sneaking back into his own house to lurk in the garage, trying to overhear the women’s conversation. He is clearly hurting, but what is his pain next to his wife’s dying?
The novel becomes a kind of exploration of Eliot’s masculinity with a series of encounters that force him to consider his life and his marriage. A short trip to Los Angeles to stay with Holly’s ex-husband (a successful television producer) puts Eliot in contrast with a more obvious alpha male, who tells Eliot he wouldn’t stand for the situation. While hiking with Josh, his son unleashes some long-buried feelings that wound Eliot further.
A dinner with a female former colleague who says she is looking for career advice but arrives drunk and immediately mocks Eliot’s diffident professional manner suggests that he’s something of an out-of-touch wimp.
As Claire grows sicker and more frail, the situation seems untenable, and we’re left wondering when something or someone is going to finally break.
Packer is highly skilled at creating dynamics where moral obligation to others and individual personalities intersect to create drama. Her 2002 book, “The Dive from Clausen’s Pier,” a frequent recommendation of mine, explores the life of a young woman who is itching to leave her cloistered life (including her longtime high school sweetheart) in Madison, Wisconsin, but when her sweetheart is paralyzed in an accident, she is trapped between obligation and desire.
Eliot’s obligation and his desire are perfectly aligned internally, but are apparently out of sync with those of Claire.
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Packer moves us through these challenges to mostly good effect, including small, meaningful moments tangential to the focus on Claire and Eliot. Some notes — like the contrived dinner with the ex-employee — don’t work as well, but overall, this is an involving read.
John Warner is the author of books including “More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.” You can find him at biblioracle.com.
Book recommendations from the Biblioracle
John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.
1. “James” by Percival Everett
2. “Strangers in Time” by David Baldacci
3. “A Calamity of Souls” by David Baldacci
4. “The Girls Who Wrote in Silk” by Kelli Estes
5. “The Women” by Kristin Hannah
— Charlotte B., Glenview
For Charlotte, I’m recommending Min Jin Lee’s epic, “Pachinko.”
1. “Death on the Rio Chiquito” by Susan McDuffie
2. “Shadow of the Solstice” by Anne Hillerman
3. “Lost Birds” by Anne Hillerman
4. “The Empty Booth at Indian Market” by Linda A. Morton
5. “High Desert Grave Robber” by Linda A. Morton
— Linda M., Woodstock
This is a tricky one, given the very narrow band of detective/mystery novels with native themes and settings. I feel like Linda has that niche covered better than I ever could, so I’m going to move just a little off the path and see if I can make a connection, “The Night Watchman” by Louise Erdrich.
1. “Deliverance” by James Dickey
2. “The Every” by Dave Eggers
3. “Little Children” by Tom Perrotta
4. “No Country for Old Men” by Cormac McCarthy
5. “Stella Maris” by Cormac McCarthy
— Dave P., Chicago
Whenever I see someone gravitating toward Cormac, I want to check if they’ve also read Daniel Woodrell, so that’s what I’m doing: “Tomato Red.”
Get a reading from the Biblioracle
Send a list of the last five books you’ve read and your hometown to [email protected].