The Sister: A Novel of Emily Dickinson

This engaging novel from Argentinian Kaufmann (1969–2006) traces the life and times of the Belle of Amherst through the eyes of her mostly forgotten younger sister, Lavinia Dickinson, or Vinnie. It opens with Vinnie contemplating the 10-year anniversary of her sister’s death, then leads us into a reminiscence of the unusual childhoods of the three Dickinson children (including the eldest, brother Austin), marked by the rigidities and detachment of both parents. As for the agoraphobia and eccentricities that marked Dickinson’s later years, including her insistence on wearing only white clothes and refusing to see anyone outside of family or close friends, Kaufmann’s Vinnie suggests that some of Dickinson’s oddities may have been purposely adopted. The final third is devoted to an examination of Vinnie’s legal entanglements with her brother’s mistress, Mabel Loomis Todd, who famously co-edited the first collection of the poems. Although Kaufmann’s prose does not rise to the magnificence of Dickinson’s poetry—what could?—she writes lovingly about the poetry itself, describing the poems as “wild children raised in a wild garden.” Her book is a must-read for Dickinson fans, exploring the motives and secret desires of one of our most mysterious literary artists. (June)