cover image Darke

Darke

Rick Gekoski. Canongate, $25 (320p) ISBN 978-1-78689-228-7

Gekoski’s debut novel (following the literary history work Nabokov’s Butterfly), about a professor isolating himself following his wife’s death, begins enticingly but ultimately falters. James Darke, retired literature professor, looks back on his courtship with and marriage to his wife, Suzy; the birth of their daughter, Lucy, and the evolution of their relationship; and his vocation as a teacher. Darke has quarantined himself from the outside world in the wake of Suzy’s death from cancer. His only meaningful encounters during this time are with Bronya, a maid hired to clean his home; these are entertaining, especially when Bronya shows a penchant for Dickens, one of Darke’s favorites. Aside from his memories, the bulk of the novel comprises Darke’s trenchant observations about life and death, education, analysis, and such pillars of literature as T.S. Eliot and William Butler Yeats. Though Darke’s ruminations about literature, his sexual awakening, and how he coped with Suzy’s suffering are high points, the book falters when Dark finally breaks his confinement to reconnect with Lucy and her son. Readers may also tire of his lengthy descriptions of his depression and his curmudgeonly view of life. ([em]Nov.) [/em]