The Marriage of Opposites

June 15, 2015
Hoffman (The Museum of Extraordinary Things) finds inspiration for her particular brand of magical realism in the Caribbean island of St. Thomas and the personal history of a nonfictional woman named Rachel Pomié, who lived on the colony in the 19th century. Rachel begins the story as the headstrong daughter of a French merchant, whose Jewish ancestors came to the New World in pursuit of religious freedom and found refuge under the protection of the King of Denmark, a champion of civil rights who also outlawed slavery on the island. Rachel grows up with her best friend Jestine, the beautiful daughter of her family’s servant, Adelle, but upon adulthood, their paths separate. Rachel, caught up in the expectations set for her as a member of the small community, marries Isaac Petit, a widower nearly 30 years her senior with three small children, in order to help her father’s business interests. She puts away her dreams of moving to Paris and accepts the role of dutiful wife, producing more children and becoming distant from Jestine, who faces her own challenges finding her place in society. When Rachel’s husband dies and his nephew arrives to oversee the family business, Rachel is swept into an encompassing love that violates the community’s moral code and isolates her family—but produces a son, Camille, whose peculiar way of seeing foretells his role as a leader of French Impressionism. Hoffman’s subject matter and her evocative writing style are a wonderful fit for this moving story, which illuminates a historical period and women whose lives were colored by hardships, upheavals, and the subjugation of personal desires.

Set amid the lushness of nineteenth-century St. Thomas, this massive family tale is an appealing audiobook. As the novel imagines the origins of the Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro, the narrators' performances are skilled and appropriate for each role. While each narrator's voice is distinctive, they share a common intensity, a complete immersion in the lyrical language that is a Hoffman specialty. Gloria Reuben's voice has a simmering, husky quality, while Tina Benko's delivery is more measured and subtle, which is appropriate for that section of the novel. Santino Fontana brings the listener forward in time, his crisp delivery sounding a bit more modern. Even with such scope, this audiobook manages to capture the imagination and transport listeners to another time. L.B.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine