Love and Summer

by William Trevor

Love and Summer by William Trevor, discussed 17th April, 2013

For some, William Trevor’s sculpted prose would have worked better as a short story
than the novel it was. Its summer had no heat; its love no passion. Its 1950s naive
Irish small town was one where “nothing happened” – except the universality of
Life. Everybody was so simple, “nice”.

Yet as our discussion progressed, our different perspectives revealed different layers
of characterization and mood of the individuals and the community that Trevor depicted.

We agreed that he wielded his pen in this story as he had once sculpted – depicting
broad, smooth forms rather than details – inviting (or demanding?) the viewer/reader
to bring her/his own imagination to complete the picture and interpret the work.

The piece was cast in melancholy, pastel tones. Only one event in it (the death of
Dillahan’s wife and baby) was starkly dramatic, and this was referred to obliquely, never
described directly. The characters and the town are constrained, even dominated, by the
rigours and training of the Catholic Church.

The pace of the 226-page book was slow and it made easy reading. It was not a work
that left an indelible mark on one’s memory. Yet our discussion revealed a multitude
of themes that Trevor wove into the pages, which wound up giving us much food
for thought: the roles of exiles in Irish history and culture; nostalgia for more innocent
times; the influence of the Catholic Church on so many facets of life; the many forms
love and kindness take and how they are expressed and communicated; degrees of
kindness; how some people “let Life happen to them” while others choose to make
their lives happen.

Many of us found that Trevor’s subtle, light sketching of his characters tempted us to
dig more deeply into them – wanting to know more about them.

Very few of the characters expressed their true feelings in words, perhaps even to
themselves. Only the “mad man” Orpen Wren spoke his thoughts openly, at times
the main character, Ellie, and at time Florian, the man with whom she fell in love.
Which man did Ellie truly love, and which man truly loved her? Which spoke
more truly – their actions or their words?

Contributed by Helen, 17 April 2013.