Book Review: "Corrigan" by Caroline Blackwood

I don’t really know what to think about this book and I was about to give it four out of five. Instead, I had to reduce it to three because of the way it reads. I really can’t get into comedy that well, but it does its best to show the change in Mrs. Blunt’s behaviours and love life. It starts off with her husband dying and her coming into this very mundane lifestyle where she just goes back and forth to and from his grave every now and again. She lives alone with a daughter and her life seems to be a constant downer for the first few chapters of the books. Just check this out:

“Her sense of desolation was returning. A feeling of deprivation hurt her once again like a tangible object. She experienced it as if it was a small piece of jagged rock that had got lodged in her chest. When her husband was still alive she used to discuss everything with him. She had fused her personality with his to the point that, like a chameleon, she had taken on every tint and shadow of his thoughts and feelings. When he died, she had been left bereft, only able to identify with a nothingness that she saw as a gaping tunnel of grey.” (p.20)

This entire section is just about suffering and really, for something that was described as a comedy, this is not very funny at all, nor does it present us with any satire. This stuff is just quite sad to be honest. The woman is alone and even though she has her daughter, she still feels undoubtedly alone.

When Corrigan arrives at the home, Mrs. Blunt refuses to use the drawing room in her house because this is now acting as Corrigan’s bedroom. I see that there is a correlation between when Corrigan arrives in the house and the satirical notion begins, but it is still on the fence. I’m not on the side of the book at this particular point but then again, the characters are well explored so I don’t have to look too far for what the book and its relations are actually about.

One thing that made me uncomfortable is that most of the satire is based on the fact that Corrigan is in a wheelchair and well, Chapter 15 starts that for me. Check this out:

“When Nadine arrived at Mrs. Blunt’s house, she received two shocks, The first was the sight of her mother’s huge brown van which was parked outside on the gravel patio. Although she had been prepared for it, she was still astonished by the size of this cumbersome vehicle and found it incredible that her mother was able to drive it. Her second shock was the sight of the ramp, which was uglier than she could ever have imagined possible. She had thought about it with so much aversion that she’s hoped that the ramp of her imagination would prove to be much more horrible than the reality. This did not prove to be true.” (p.204)

Now, I understand the character of Corrigan and the way in which he is supposed to be (which I will not put here because it is a slight spoiler). But it still is uncomfortable to read the references to Corrigan being in a wheelchair as the main point of the satirical jokes in the book. Mrs. Blunt’s emotional state is understandable towards Corrigan and the fact that Nadine is not comfortable with her mother’s relations with Corrigan, especially as her mother has been heartbroken by Nadine’s father’s death. But yet, Nadine’s main point is to make reference to the fact that Corrigan is in a wheelchair rather than the main discussion point of his character - which serves to be a major point of the plot. I found this to be very matter-of-fact, like she would not think like this in real life. Instead, she would directly address her mother, especially concerning how she is described in the opening chapters of the books as being distant from her mother, and yet not as quiet as her. The manipulation is served by way more than just one character to another and though it is uncomfortable, it is a plot device all the same. And I have to accept it.