The Inhabited World by David Long (reviewed by Literary Feline)

The Inhabited World by David Long
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006
Fiction; 277 pgs

Started: 06/01/2007
Completed: 06/03/2007
Rating: 3.5 Stars

First Sentence: When he looks at his hand, he sees the hand he remembers—ropy branching veins, a ridge of waxy skin on the inside of the wrist where he fumbled a glowing iron rod at his father’s forge one afternoon in 1966.

Comments: The Inhabited World is not an easy book to describe. It is not quite a ghost story. It is more of a story about life, redemption, and moving on. The main character just happens to be dead. It is about a man, Evan Molloy, who died by his own hand. He is stuck in a state of limbo, unable to leave the property his Washington house is set on, and so his days and nights are spent observing the new residents as they come and go. Evan does not understand where exactly he is or why.

Maureen Keniston is the most recent tenant, a woman who is running away from her old life, trying to reestablish herself and find her footing after a long affair with a married man. Although her story is an important part of the narrative, Evan's story is the main focal point throughout most of the novel. As Evan watches Maureen and begins to understand her situation, all the while wishing he could offer her some solace, he is lost in his own memories, the recounting of his life and how he ended up where is today, including what led him to pull the trigger.

David Long's novel had an "it could happen to me" feel to it right from the very start. Evan was an average man whose life did not stand out much beyond the norm. His families, both in childhood and adulthood, were no more dysfunctional than most in today's society. Evan was really never made out to be a victim of his circumstances, which is a definite strength in this novel, fitting in with the overall atmosphere set by the author. I never felt sorry for Evan, although I could empathize with his plight.

I was most drawn to Evan's experience with depression, including the onset and his cycles in and out of it. Although it's named, the illness is never fully accepted by Evan for what it is, which itself is not too uncommon. There is a stigma about depression in its many forms and other mental illnesses as we see with not only Evan, but his stepdaughter, Janey as well. Physical health problems have always been more acceptable; those of the mind, even if the root may be physical, are still hard to accept.

There was a constant layer of melancholy that settled over the novel, both in the author's prose and woven into the lives of his characters. The Inhabited World is not one that stands out in the sense of climax and melodrama, and yet there is a quality about it that lingers because of the subtleness and the realness of it.

One side effect of having read this book is that now I find myself wondering if I am truly ever alone. Is there a spiritual being sitting in the pink (Anjin says it's brown) armchair, watching as I write this?

(excerpt of review taken from Musings of a Bookish Kitty)

"Thoughts of Joy..." ~ The Inhabited World (Long)

"Thoughts of Joy..." can be found here.

I had an 'on again/off again' relationship with this book. I first was introduced to it by Kristin at Books for Breakfast and was very intrigued, so I put it on my forever long TBR list. Then, I decided I wasn't interested in reading about a ghost and crossed it off. However, when the NYT Notable Book Challenge came along (it being on the list of choices) and my desire to stretch myself in genres, I decided to take the plunge. All in all, it was a bit somber, but I'm glad I read it.

What stands out most to me is the in-depth emotional content and well-developed characters. Long's ability to weave deep connections to these characters was very well done. The concept of Evan (the main character) being a 'ghost' is far from freaky or scary, despite his ability to 'live' on the premise where he lived and died, as he seeks the reason "why?" he was led to suicide. So, we go on the journey with him, going from who lives in the house now back to Evan's childhood and forward again.

Closure to the plot was there, yet I had hoped for a more satisfying ending. I feel a vague sense of being left to dangle. Maybe that's how Evan felt. Hmmm, something to ponder.

The Inhabited World - Amy's Review

The original review is posted here.

David Long
Library Book
277 pgs

One of the reasons that I joined the NYT Notable Books challenge was to read books that I wouldn't normally choose.

I wouldn't normally choose a book in which the protagonist, Evan, has committed suicide, doesn't really know why, and now lives in a realm somewhere between life and the afterlife.

Trapped within the confines of the property where he lived when he was alive, Evan watches as various tenants come and go but it is the most recent one, Maureen, that he seems to feel a connection to. She is in the midst of trying to break off an affair and through his own life experiences, Evan seems to understand the feelings that she is facing and through watching her, he learns to understand the depths of his own despair and what caused him to commit suicide.

I didn't close this book with a satisfied sigh when I was done. There were some things that left me feeling unsettled and I suspect there are things that I will be mulling over for quite a while to come.

However, I did enjoy "The Inhabited World" and I am glad I read it.

The Inhabited World by David Long

I feel that I should explain that I don't do traditional book reviews. I do book recommendations more than anything else. I rarely quote the book in question, and I don't give away major plot points, preferring just give a general idea of to expect when reading the book.

When I joined the NYT Notable Book Challenge, I posted the ones I wanted to read here. I was then asked by the author of one of the unchosen books if I would consider reading his. I happily agreed. Here is the bulk of the review I posted on my blog...

The Inhabited World by David Long

The main character, Evan, has committed suicide but is still existing in his house, unable to leave it or to communicate with the people who have moved in and out of it in the 10 years since his death. He also doesn't quite know why he shot himself, which is the crux of the story.

A young woman who is trying to break off a relationship she's having with a married man, moves into Evan's house, and the novel weaves in and out through her trials and Evan's back story.

I thought it was great how the author shows us how different people will react to life's difficulties. What might lead one person to end it all, will cause another to become stronger.

A couple of times, I was confused because Evan would reminisce about his marriages (both to the same woman) and at first, I wouldn't know if he was referring to marriage #1 or marriage #2, but I quickly figured out where we were and continued on my way.

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to everyone. And I'd like to thank David Long for encouraging me to read his excellent novel. I'm definitely going to take the time to read his other books now.

Update: Mr. Long left this message after my review that I feel is important to any discussion of this novel.

"I remember in the background of one of the last Beatles songs on Let It Be, John is heard to say something like: I hope we passed the audition . . . That's how I felt having laid the bloody book at your feet, so to speak. In any case, I'm relieved.

Wanted to say that I was very much taken by the film WINGS OF DESIRE [Wim Wenders], which centers on a pair of angels in the city of Berlin, one of whom longs for the physicality of the world so much that he renounces his status as angel and is returned to earth. The first thing he does--it's a cold evening--is to buy a coffee from a street vendor and wrap his hands around the cup to feel the warmth. A great moment. But there's another scene I found really moving: many of the angels hang about the library at night--they stand beside people as they read, and sometimes the reader will pause for a moment and look around as if they almost sensed something, but then go back to their reading. Sometimes the angel might touch them on the shoulder in a comforting way.

A close reading of the novel will show that the word "ghost" never appears--and I wanted to steer clear of as many of the common elements of "ghost" fiction as I possibly could--no scaring the living, that sort of thing. So you could rather think of it as a story about someone in a state of limbo, trying to understand things, and trying to act, insofar as he can, as a guardian angel."

It is interesting that the author thinks of Evan as an angel rather than a ghost, considering Evan states repeatedly that he doesn't really subscribe to any particular religious belief, even after his death.