The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

The Dutch House is a novel that is “not.” It is not a love story. It is not a mystery. It is not a thriller. It is not an allegory. It is not a cautionary tale.

It is a story about a family. For all the things it is not, it is a story the gets you invested in the characters. It is mainly about the narrator, Danny, and his sister Maeve (they are of Irish descent, not Dutch). A rich cast of characters and chaos revolve around these two, but they are the focus.

Were these two siblings fortunate or unfortunate in their lives? No spoilers here. That may be up to the reader to decide. Good things happen to them as well as bad. They were born into wealth as evidenced by the grand Dutch house of the title, where they lived. The house in Pennsylvania, was built by a rich Dutch family who had eventually fallen on hard times. After the last of the Dutch family had died, Danny’s father was able to acquire the house at a ridiculously low price. He was proud of his acquisition, but Danny’s mother hated the house and she eventually left, abandoning her family.

All this happened before our story begins. Danny and Maeve’s single father eventually marries an unpleasant woman; not quite an evil step-mother, but close. The step-mother is in many ways a detestable woman, and yet she is written in such a way that makes her motives understandable. Her choices seem reasonable to her, if not to us.

It is more than just the title; the story keeps coming back to the house. Is the house cursed? You could almost interpret it that way. People tend to have a worse time of it while they are living in the house than when the same people are not. It does feel like a pall hangs over the house. Yet, Danny and Maeve are able to find joy in their lives.

The characters in the book are given choices. Many of them have, or will choose a path to wealth. But the characters who choose a different path seem to be happier. Was the author trying to show that money does not buy happiness? Perhaps I am reading too much into that. This is a slice of American life, with all the good and ill that comes with it.

Star Liner

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