Goldengrove

By Prose, Francine
Harper Collins, $13.99, 275 pages

Francine Prose’s fifteenth novel takes its title from a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem: “Margarét, are you grieving / Over Goldengrove unleaving?”  In the novel, Margaret is the charismatic older sister to Nico, but after Margaret’s sudden drowning death in Mirror Lake, she is the one grieved for as her parents, boyfriend, and sister sink into separate worlds of anguish.

The sisters’ father plunges into writing a book about the end of the world he threatens to name Eschatology for Dummies, while their mother disappears into a tranquilized haze.  This leaves Nico, at 13, alone to bear the loss of her sister, made worse by her increasing physical resemblance to Margaret.  Could mirroring her sister bring Margaret back? Nico tries to maintain contact with Margaret by wearing her clothes and scent – and by secretly spending time with Margaret’s boyfriend Aaron.  However, what begins as shared grief becomes an increasingly fraught relationship, as Aaron’s interest in Nico turns creepily physical.

Francine Prose brilliantly captures Nico’s fascination and terror with sexuality, providing a beguiling counter-weight to the novel’s exploration of the mourning process. Through Prose’s deft characterization, Nico emerges from under her sister’s shadow, while never losing touch with her memory.

Reviewed by Catherine Hollis