A Thousand Acres - Jane Smiley

 I've seen high praise for this book and a colleague also recommended it, so I was expecting great things. From the blurb and reviews I thought it was going to be similar to John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, one of my favourite books of all time, and epitomise the American pastoral novel. As far as setting and landscape are concerned this was pretty much on the button, but the themes which emerged from this 2003 novel were far deeper and more disturbing than I could've imagined.

The novel follows three siblings, Virginia (Ginny), our protagonist; Rose, her brash and feisty younger sister; and Caroline, the baby of the bunch. Their mother died when they were still children and they have been raised by their difficult and regimented father, Larry Cook, who comes into ownership of 1,000 acres of farmland at the novel's opening. As he is growing older and less keen to continue the challenging and demanding lifestyle the land requires, he announces unexpectedly that he will be signing over the land in its entirety to his daughters. As a harsh and unforgiving man, he is quick to snip Caroline from the deal when she is less enthused about his act of kindness than he had hoped for. Initially, the older sisters are seemingly indifferent to their possession of such a large amount of land, but tensions between the three sisters and their father begin to rise and alliances form.

Throughout the novel, cracks begin to form in the lives of the siblings and their partners, and infidelity, domestic abuse and alcoholism are just some of the themes which Smiley presents us with. The older sisters' revelation that their father sexually abused them as teenagers came as quite a shock and, naturally, induced the obligatory queasiness and recoiling that never seems to lessen no matter how many difficult books you read. The protagonist, Ginny, is highly unreliable and unlikeable throughout most of the book, which was interesting for me as I am used to forming a bond and allegiance with a narrator whom I like - Ginny's behaviour is at times unforgivable and inexcusable making for an unsteady and untrusting dynamic with the reader. This book explored so many themes and the raw realities of family, and I was hooked throughout. Smiley's unassuming prose lulls you in to a sense of warmth and comfort and then suddenly hits you with a narrative twist, which really keeps you on your toes. I'd highly recommend this novel!