Andrew Sean Greer was born in November 1970, in Washington,
D.C., the son of two scientists. He
studied writing at Brown University, and after years in New York working as a
chauffeur, television extra and unsuccessful writer, he moved to Missoula,
Montana, where he received a master of fine arts degree from the University of
Montana. He soon moved to Seattle, where
he wrote for Nintendo and taught community college, then to San Francisco where
he began to publish in magazines such as Esquire,
The Paris Review,
and The New Yorker
before releasing a collection of his stories, How It Was for Me. The New York Times Book Review praised it, commenting that
"Greer's descriptive talents are immense." His first novel, The Path of Minor Planets was a critical success. I first encountered Greer on the publication
of his second novel, The Confessions of
Max Tivoli. His powers of description
are a wonder to behold. The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells is
his fourth novel and fifth book.
Greta Wells Lives in New York City in 1985. In the late fall of that year, she suffers a
mental breakdown, and he physician husband recommends Dr. Cerletti, who
administers a series of 25 electro convulsive therapy procedures. When she awakens from each session, she is
still in her room, but the date has changed from 1985 to 1918, and after the
next treatment from 1918 to 1941, then back to 1985.
Although Greta refers to herself as a “time-traveler,” I
think this is misleading. Since each of
the three time periods she visits has the same characters, relationships, and
locations, something else must be afoot.
Greer grew up in a scientifically inclined family, so perhaps The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells is
an attempt to demonstrate the relatively new theory of the “multi-verse”
construct of the universe.
As I began the
novel, interest and curiosity quickly took over. Since the novel Max Tivoli is the story of a man born old, who tumbles back into
his childhood, I prepared myself for a wild ride. The next chapter perplexed me however. The voice changed and the prose seemed
formulaic. But I plowed on, and gradually
accustomed myself to Greer’s style in his latest novel. I am glad I did.
The novel grew on
me, and became an interesting exploration of mistakes made and attempts to remedy
those errors and alter the other two Greta’s lives into something which fir more
closely their dreams.
Greer still has an impressive
talent for description. He writes, “I lay
there for a long time trying to make sense of what I saw. Sunlight and shadow. Striped satin and lace. A piece of fabric hanging over me, dappled by the
sun and leaves, billowing slightly from the open window. The sound of a steam whistle, and the clatter of
hooves. Striped satin and lace; it was quite
beautiful, moving in slow waves above me, just as my mind had been moving in waves
as I awoke: a canopy bed. My eyes moved down
to take in the rest of the room, which was lit with the same watery refracted light.
My breath began to quicken. Because the bed I had fallen asleep in had no posters,
no fabric. And the room I saw before me was
not my room (27-28).
Greta flits from one
period to another trying to fix things without revealing exactly who she is. Only her best friend, her Aunt Ruth, knew the truth
and told 1985 Greta the plans and activities of the 1918 and the 1941 Greta. Suddenly, I could not put it down! And I bet you can’t either! 5 Stars
--Chiron, 5/25/14
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