Notes from an Exhibition Gallery Cafe Book Group
AT our second Zoom meeting we discussed Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale.
Each chapter starts with an exhibition note describing a piece of art created by Rachel Kelly or, in some instances, a personal item thought significant to her life and career. The rest of the chapter then describes the memories, feelings, incidents and reactions associated with the exhibited piece.
We are introduced to Rachel, a very creative artist who is subject to manic creative bouts but also depressive, suicidal feelings.
She is married to Antony, a Quaker, who takes on the task of making sure his wife takes her medication to even out her manic-depressive cycle, while she does her best to avoid medicines that destroy her creative talents.
Rachel had four children, which is surprising because after each birth she is confined in a mental institution to recover.
When Rachel dies unexpectedly in her Cornish attic studio she leaves a legacy of an extraordinary body of work. But she also leaves a messy personal life with a past full of secrets, which are revealed in reverse chronology.
The novel is cleverly constructed and shows tremendous sensitivity to the way bipolar disorder can wreak emotional damage on a family.
It is revealed near the start that her son Petroc dies but not how. The reader must wait until the end to find out the details. One earlier chapter gives hints about the death but it is easy to miss these.
The lives of all the children are blighted by Rachel’s erratic form of mothering, some more tragically than others.
Antony appears to be more concerned with keeping Rachel on an even keel rather than protecting his children from her outbursts.
The children live for when their mother is happy, because then she is the best.
The scenes involving the children’s birthdays are uncomfortable to read. Each child would get to spend their special day alone with Rachel but these days often turned out to be quite traumatic for the child.
Mental illness is not an easy subject matter to portray but Gale has done so with empathy and delicacy.
Our discussion was enhanced because Trevor provided so much background information on Gale’s life and experiences, Sue (a sculptor) provided an insight into the life of an artist and Petra provided information on the variety of artists that the Gallery promote.
Other books mentioned: Stuart, a Life Backwards by Alexander Masters; The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath; three books by Patrick Gale - A Place called Winter, Rough Music and Taking Nothing with You.
At our next zoom meeting we will be discussing Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo.