The Vulnerables is a novel that reads like a memoir, set during the pandemic: people fleeing New York City for their second homes, others living in a suddenly quiet New York City, and yet others who are trapped far from home. Nunez's unnamed protagonist‒a writer who is also a creative writing professor‒ends up living through much of the pandemic in the very upscale Manhattan apartment of a married couple trapped in California at the time of the lock-downs. A college student who was house-sitting for them, caring for their beloved parrot, has left abruptly for his parents' home. Later, after a fight with his parents, the young man comes back to the apartment, which makes the narrator less happy; but she continues to stay there too because she has lent out her own apartment to a pulmonary doctor who came from out of town to work at a local hospital.
Nunez's writing style reminds me somewhat of Elizabeth Strout's Lucy By the Sea, which is also set during the pandemic. Not a lot of activity occurs, but the story keeps one engrossed anyway. The writer's narration is understated, seeming dream-like at times. She ruminates on the present and reflects on the past, including bits of her own history, especially with regard to a friend who died just before the pandemic hit. She has a lot to say about a number of famous writers, which I found interesting, too. The college student's role becomes more important. A book definitely worth a second read.
No comments:
Post a Comment