Not Now But Now

Not Now But Now, M. K. Fisher.

Well-written set of 5 stories set in different time periods (but all 1880-1940) of the protagonist Jennie, a shameless, narcissitic gold-digger who manipulates herself into the hearts and lives of 5 different people, leaving devastation behind.

Very avant garde considering it was written in the 30s I think: includes lesbian, older/younger relationships, and one that includes a father/son pair.

The prose is sharp, the tone cruel and witty, the air knowing and jaded; would make very good New Yorker material.

Jennie is ruthless and shallow but her victims (except her last lover) are also foolish, themselves dishonest (or at least delusional), blind and doomed. In fact that is part of the problem: there is little sympathy for any of the characters, hence Jennie's triumphs evoke no strong feeling of sympathy or delight.

The writer succeeds too well at being dispassionate and ironic; in the end there is too little at stake for the reader.

2*
(May 2008)