“You know what she puts me in the mind of? A racehorse! Something delicate and proud, and yet free in the way she steps out.”
Young Anne, by Dorothy Whipple is a coming-of-age novel about Anne Pritchard. The story begins with Anne at around 5 years of age and concludes with her in her mid-20s. During this span of time, we follow Anne’s school days, romances, interactions with society, her strained relationship with her family, and her constant struggle with God and religion. Anne is a rambunctious, curious and introverted individual, who is often misunderstood by her family and community, as she doesn’t fit into societal norms.
What initially stood out to me the most is Anne’s tense relationship with her father. He has no patience for her quirkiness and is harsh and mean towards her. In response, Anne withdraws from him, doing her best to avoid his judgment and rebukes. Her father is a man that sees no point in girls and clearly favors his eldest son. Anne’s spontaneity and at times, lack of decorum, irritates and embarrasses him to the point that one day he gets fed up and sends her away to school.
I find stories that highlight parental relationships with their children, especially the father figure, to be interesting - there is something to be said about how a father treats his daughter(s) - it can really have an impact on how she views and interacts with men in the future. It can also impact how children view and interact with other authority figures. Though Whipple doesn’t delve much deeper into this dynamic, I do think that there are subtle instances in which Anne withdraws into herself because she’s used to suppression. There are ramifications to this as the novel progresses.
This is also a novel on introversion. Anne has a difficult time being around groups of people and thrives best in more intimate settings, in nature, or on her own. It’s evident that she finds most people exhausting and is bored with the tedium of conventional social life.
Introverts are often misunderstood, because they thrive better in smaller, more intimate settings - it doesn’t mean that they are shy, don’t like people or social events, but these gathering literally drain and exhaust them more rapidly. I find that a lot of novels focus on the introvert and this tension between the need to withdraw and the need to perform. I’m actually extremely introverted (not kidding, I’m as close to the “I” on the scale as you can get). I really resonate with these types fo characters because it feels like someone finally “gets” it. I have been in social situations where all of a sudden I “crash” and I physically can’t take it anymore - it’s a feeling of being trapped, a feeling of “short-circuiting.” Other people around you don’t understand what’s happening and assume you have an “attitude.” No, the introvert has literally become overwhelmed, over-stimulated and can no longer process anything else occurring in their environment; they are breaking down and everything is “noise”.
Though I’ve read many novels with introverted main characters, this novel makes me wants to actual explore and analyze this more deeply, so I’ll be adding this to my “to-do” list. “Introversion in the Novel” aaaah, I love it when a hobby keeps on giving.
Moving on, a common theme in Whipple’s novels are God and faith. This is my third Whipple and this is recurring. In Young Anne, Anne has a difficult time reconciling the concept of God in a world that is disappointing.
As Anne gets older, she becomes more disillusioned with life as her expectations don’t meet reality.
“…no material comfort can heal a spiritual dislocation.”
Whereas in Whipple’s other novels, the characters tend to have a literal “Come to Jesus” moment, after they go through hell and high water, this doesn’t occur in Young Anne, which I find to be intriguing. I plan to read Whipple’s other novels (5 more to go…) and after completing that task, or once I become close to completing it, I would like to dive into “Faith and Religion in Whipple.” Once again, my hobby providing homework.
Young Anne is a quick, enjoyable read and it is endearing to see how Anne navigates through life and the decisions that she makes. This is also a novel about how in youth, we tend to make more emotional decisions, but as we mature, we become more rational and reflective. We begin to understand that the decisions we make have consequences. I always enjoy reading Dorothy Whipple - I wish she was more widely appreciated. She has this way of writing simply about everyday life, that is relatable and evocative. She gets to the heart of both joy and despair without overdoing it. Young Anne is her first published novel and it may not be as strong the others but it’s still good and I can see how her writing and the topics she likes to write about matured.
Rating: 4/5
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