The Still Point

November 1, 2010
Sackville drifts seamlessly between past and present in her beautifully written debut, the split story of the last days of fictional 19th-century Arctic explorer Edward Mackley, and a day in the life of his great-great-niece, Julia, and her husband, Simon, a hundred years later. Julia and Simon live in Edward's brother's house, surrounded by artifacts of Edward's life's work. Julia spends her days archiving Edward's collection, reading his diaries, and developing deep attachments to the characters involved in her ancestor's story—particularly his young wife, Emily, whom Julia fashions into a Persephone figure, brave and patient as she awaits Edward's return. While the two couples live vastly different lives, there are glimpses—often funny, sometimes painful—of Julia and Simon's strained marriage tucked into the flowery prose of Emily and Edward's romance, revealing them all to be idealists with the unfortunate luck to grind against reality, none with more force than Edward, whose ship never returns. Sackville is a canny observer and a dry wit who can tease a trace of significance out of even the most mundane corners of domesticity.

November 15, 2010

In the attic of a rambling Victorian house, Julia spends a hot summer day labeling memorabilia from her ancestor Edward Mackley, a 19th-century British Arctic explorer who died in the snow before reaching the North Pole. Her attempts to catalog his life are hindered by her emotional attachment to the mythic past, her own painful history, and her tentative relationship with her husband, Simon. The narrative moves among the horrendous frozen trek of Mackley and his crew 100 years earlier; the tedious life of manners endured by his bride, Emily, as she awaits his return in the same Victorian house; Simon's present-day struggle to resist an affair; and Julia's languid movements through this single day where she tries to come to terms with the truth of the past and the realities of love. VERDICT Sackville has written a dreamily poetic debut novel that is equally vivid in conjuring up the stark cold of the Arctic and the oppressive heat of an English summer. Captivating and poignant.--Joy Humphrey, Pepperdine Univ. Law Lib., Malibu, CA

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
As the twentieth century begins, Arctic explorer Edward Mackley sets out to reach the North Pole. He is looking for the still point, the quiet center at the top of the world, where he can fulfill his dreams of glory. Edward leaves behind his bride, Emily, and a promise to return. Fast-forward 100 years to an English summer day. Julia Mackley, Edwards great-grand-niece, has inherited the family home, a rundown mansion full of decaying furniture and family artifacts. Julia tries to create some kind of order out of the collection of objects and memories that surrounds her while her wayward husband, Simon, is at work. The Still Point follows the couple over the course of one day as the narrative moves between Edward and Emilys brief marriage, Edwards doomed trip, and Julia and Simons ailing relationship. Through Sackvilles rhythmic, lyrical prose, readers discover an Arctic alive with form and color, a place of unusual beauty with the ability to destroy. This is a subtle, probing exploration of the role of faith, the meaning of failure, and historys power to move us forward.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)