Review of THE CHOSEN
A literary gem from across the pond ...
After Jude the Obscure, the final piece in his famous Wessex series, Thomas Hardy left novels and wrote poetry – some of the best of the early 20th century. Lowry posits, with much supporting evidence, that he did so because of his first wife’s sudden death and his profound regret over his many marital failings. His most famous poems would be “love letters” to her after her death. Thomas Hardy and writers in general do not come off well in this book. But the plot and the characterizations pale compared to the thematic landscape where Lowry takes you in this story. Combining fictional epistolary material with original pieces of Hardy’s work, Lowry’s crystalline prose links many strands together into the best novel I read this summer. Nothing much happens but, as so often in a serious piece of literature, it doesn’t matter.
THE CHOSEN
Elizabeth Lowry
2022 300 pages