The main themes of this book are married love, small towns, and alienation and belonging. Saul and Patsy are a young couple who find themselves living in Five Oaks, Michigan. Saul, the main character, feels like a fish out of water in this rural community. He is an east coast Jewish intellectual, and the book is full of the details of his alienation, ranging from the barber who can’t figure out how to cut his kinky hair to outright anti-Semitism. Saul teaches high school remedial English, and the main focus of the plot is his relationship with one of his students, a troubled outcast loner. The loner becomes obsessed with Saul, tragedy ensues, and they deal with it.
There wasn’t a single character in this book that I didn’t want to slap at some point. Particularly Saul, with his fussy, whining ways. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading it. I think my favorite part was the portrayal of their marriage, especially at the beginning of the book, before they had kids. These two are madly in love, so much so that it almost seems indecent. Here’s a quote to give you the flavor:
“You are in a state.”
“I guess I might be.”
“What is it this time? Our recent brush with death? The McPhees? My incredible impatience about getting another job?”
“What about the McPhees?” he asked. She had probably guessed.
“Well, they were so cute, the two of them. So sweet. And so young, too. Plus their baby. And I know you, Saul, and I know what you thought. You thought: What have these two got that I don’t have?”
She had guessed. She usually did. It was unfair. He stepped backward. “Yes,” he said, “you’re right. What do they have? And why don’t I have it? I’m happy with you, but I—”
“Jesus. You can’t be like them because you can’t, Saul. You fret. That’s your hobby. It’s how you stay occupied. You’ve heard about spots? About how a person can’t change them? Well, I like your spots. I like how you’re a professional worrier. And you always know about things like the Cayuse Indians. I’m not like that. And I don’t want to be married to somebody like me. I’d put myself to sleep. But you’re perfect. You’re an early warning system. You bark and growl at life. You’re my dog. You do see that don’t you?”
See? Icky and charming at the same time.
Saul and Patsy is more about internal states and personal growth than it is about exciting plot twists, though it does have a good dose of suspense and sly humor. I read it in about two days, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Charles Baxter has been on my TBR list for years and now I’m wondering why I waited so long.
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