Adeline

February 23, 2015
It is perhaps not surprising that Vincent (Self-Made Man), whose nonfiction has dealt with issues of gender and mental illness, should choose as the topic of this novel the life and death of Virginia Woolf. Specifically, the novel focuses on a handful of scenes from the last 15 years of Woolf’s life, exploring not only Woolf’s complicated relationship with her own creative process but also the intricate and fraught entanglements of the Bloomsbury Group. Central to Vincent’s imagined version of Woolf’s later years are the consequences of the author’s troubled childhood and its implications for her close relationships, including her sister, Vanessa. Here, much of Woolf’s depression and anxiety is linked to her childhood self—and her given name, Adeline—with whom Woolf has a pivotal imaginary conversation that haunts her to the end. This exchange is skillfully rendered and emotionally insightful, leading Vincent’s novel to its somber conclusion.

April 15, 2015

Drawing deeply on Hermione Lee's 1996 biography of Virginia Woolf, Vincent's (Thy Neighbor) historical novel provides startling glimpses into the mind of this troubled genius at multiple intervals between 1925 and her suicide in 1941. This profound psychological exploration of the writer features her conversations with her own inner voices as well as the heady, intellectual exchanges she has with members of the Bloomsbury Group and other luminaries, including T.S. Eliot and William Butler Yeats. During her emotional crises, Woolf interacts with Adeline, a version of herself at 13, the age of her first psychotic break following the death of her mother. Woolf was a true lover of language, and Vincent peppers the book with delightful wordplay and linguistic exploration. The portrait of husband Leonard Woolf as Virginia's rock and constant supportive companion and helpmate is particularly touching. VERDICT This beautifully written and penetrating re-creation of the life of a feminist icon will appeal to anyone with a passing interest in Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of both Woolf's brilliance and her suffering and may be inspired to revisit her writings.--Lauren Gilbert, Sachem P.L., Holbrook, NY

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