Good Women [Paperback]

I had read and greatly enjoyed Stevenson's novel "London Bridges" several years ago, so when I saw this, I picked it up, and am I ever glad I did. Each of the three witty and sharp novellas collected here features a titular "good woman" at its core. Although in the first story the woman is somewhat of a maneater, in the latter two stories, traditional housewives take the center stage. However, this is an entirely feminist book, because when the men in their lives let them down, they fight back. Which is not to say this is a polemical book, or a simplistic, black and white one. A lot of moral ambiguity and human weakness is mixed into these stories, and that's a large part of what makes them so compelling.

"Light My Fire" is narrated by a somewhat dodgy middle-aged, married-with-kids architect who's a partner in a firm specializing in high-end home renovations in Scotland. A chance meeting with a sexy married woman on a train leads them into an affair and ultimately a new life together. Alas, this new life of theirs also involves moving into a decrepit 14th-century Scottish stone fort/house. His running suave patter of narration is entirely engaging while comically revealing his selfishness, contempt, and snobbery. And yet one can't help but feel somewhat sorry for him when the well-foreshadowed denouement arrives. This kind of faceted character construction is what makes all three stories so excellent.

"Walking with Angels" takes place in the totally average small suburban Sheffield home of a couple in their 30s, where the husband works long hard days, and the plain wife splits her time between a grocery store job and keeping house. Their comfortable domestic life is changed forever when she starts to see two angels. This leads her to explore her spiritual side, which then leads her into alternative therapy and healing. But when she wants to start her own business, her husband grows increasingly nasty and the marriage degenerates. There's a lot of comedy as she struggles to come to terms with her new "gifts" and tries to integrate them into her regular life. It would have been easy to make treat the ending as glib dark comedy, but Stevenson is more subtle than that.

The final story is in some ways, the most conventional. A 60something widower slowly comes to the realization that her son and daughter-in-law want to force her out of the Kew Gardens family home, which belongs to all of them via a trust. She reflects on how she subsumed her own personality into the role of being a housewife, mother, and top notch gardener. As her family brings increasing pressure to bear, she is forced to confront her own past behavior in the face of expectations, and with the help of an old friend, creates a new reality for herself (while also crafting some very creative revenge on her daughter-in-law). This is a great story for women of all ages, but especially those who love gardening.

Unfortunately for Stevenson, this is not a particularly auspicious time to be an excellent novella writer. In publishing circles, there is a distinct preference for the novel over the short story collection. However, the short story at least has a chance to shine in a magazine or literary quarterly. Novellas are caught between the two worlds and are thus very unpopular as a form. One might draw the conclusion then, that any novella collection which actually makes it into print must then be very very good. And in this case, one would be absolutely correct.

Savage stories about the blackness and bleakness that lurks within women who think they are 'good', these are beautifully observed, seductive narratives about quiet rebellions; somehow they recall the best of Daphne Du Maurier (a little underrated, nowadays.) Gardeners will particularly enjoy the subtle revenge in the last story; I've certainly wanted to plant the odd Kiftsgate rose on some members of my family.... Unfussily clever, literate and honest: a rare combination.

I had read good reviews of this author's other work and this collection of three novellas did not disappoint. 'Light my Fire' has a male narrator who reveals his unpleasant character in every sentence. It is clear in spite of appearances to the contrary, that his mistress - later his wife - is really in charge of his destiny. The climax of the story was appropriate and satisfying. 'Walking with Angels' shows what happens when a downtrodden wife finds her spiritual side and realises she has two guardian angels. The climax of the story builds out of it and shows how it is always difficult for one partner to adapt when the other changes. My favourite was the final novella - 'Garden Guerrillas' - in which a widow takes horticultural revenge on her obnoxious daughter-in-law. The scenario was conventional but the way the revenge was carried out and how the widow starts to live her own life is brilliantly satisfying. The story will appeal to all gardeners as they will understand what the plants mentioned will do in a garden unchecked, but there is sufficient description for non-gardeners to understand and appreciate the revenge. This is one of the most satisfying stories I have read for a long time.