IN A NUTSHELL
- The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman (Simon & Schuster, August 2015)
In 40 words or less: The island of St. Thomas was far more than a magical paradise in the early 1800’s. Hoffman’s story of Camille Pissarro’s mother, her strengths, challenges, loves and unfulfilled dreams, are all a prelude to her son becoming an Impressionist great.- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Locale: St. Thomas and Paris
- Time: 19th Century
- Book Group Potential: The history and biographical material are ripe for discussion.
Tomorrow Alice Hoffman’s latest work of historical fiction hits the bookstores. What could be a better setting for The Marriage of Opposites than the magical island of St. Thomas? In the early 1800’s St. Thomas was a flourishing center of commerce for goods being shipped from Europe and Africa to the western hemisphere and back. Much of the merchant class are refugees exiled during the Inquisition. And the earliest settlers of the island believe their people arrived on the island from the moon and continue to have a strong spiritual connection with the natural elements of the island.
Rachel Pomié is a young woman far ahead of her time. She has a strong sense of business, encouraged in her thinking by her father. Disinterested in the ladylike niceties followed by her mother and the other women in the small Jewish community, Rachel spends her free time with the daughter of the family’s housekeeper. She appreciates and understands the customs and stories of the island’s natives.
Marriage in the community is strictly governed, often to enhance business opportunities. And in families with no male heirs these arrangements are of particular important. In order to save her father’s business, Rachel is betrothed to widower with three young children. While not a love match they develop a partnership ended by his death. Rachel and her growing family are then at the mercy of her husband’s young nephew, Frédéric, who comes from France to manage the business inherited by his family. And Rachel finds the true love of her life.
Hoffman is well-known for bringing elements of the magical into her stories. The spirit world enters into the lives of both island natives and those that see themselves above such superstitions. Rachel is not above seeking out local healers to help save the lives of those she loves.
Were The Marriage of Opposites entirely fiction it would be an interesting story. But it’s not. Rachel Pomie Petit Pizzarro and her family really did exist. And as the latter part of the novel shifts to the story of Rachel’s youngest child, Camille, we learn about the life of the boy who Camille Pissarro, one of France’s greatest Impressionist painters. Camille was taken with the colors and sounds of his birthplace though wanted to leave for Paris from a young age. Paris was always his mother’s dream, though never within reach.
Hoffman includes an afterword detailing the factual and fictional elements of the novel. Whether you are attracted to historical fiction in exotic settings, stories of strong women tested by the times or the back stories of well-known people, there will be something for you in The Marriage of Opposites. Certainly, Alice Hoffman fans won’t want to miss it.
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