Monday, October 5, 2015

The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman

I learned about the father of Impressionism, Camille Pissarro, in Hoffman's latest historical fiction.  Pissarro's talent is obvious in Hoffman's portrayal.  Yet, it is Rachel, his mother and her determination to follow her heart and defy all conventions after her first husband dies that is most indelible. 
Set in the island of St. Thomas in the 1800s of a Jewish refugees community where Rachel grows up fulfilling her father's request to marry a widower in order to save the family's business.  I am transported to a tropical paradise but am reminded of the inequality, slavery and racism on the island that is supposedly outlawed by Danish rule.  Hoffman weaves in many layers and family secrets in the novel, with Rachel's dream of being in Paris someday because of her ancestry, the relationships with her parents, her children, the friendship with her childhood friend Justine and her courage and need to be validated despite her scandalous second marriage to her true love Frederick.  It is a good read.

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