The Folded Leaf by William Maxwell (1945)

I've read a Maxwell back in the mists of time, but now have no recollection of it, so this was like a first discovery. The experience was an intriguing one. The thing that most distinguishes his work is its emphasis on the reader as distanced observer. This happens, though, within a framework which feels quite close to the bone. These things are perhaps contradictory, but the fact that they work is undoubtable. The best way to illustrate this is to say that Maxwell allows the reader to see what happens before knowing why it does in most cases. Moments come when one says "Ah! That's how he was feeling..." in light of such and such an eventuation. At the same time one is kept quite close to a feeling of tension in the air, or some sort of sense of joy or conflict - so much so that the book feels imbued with unspecified emotion. There is much less psychological explication. This is a fascinating technique which mirrors, of course, life itself, where we often only find out what has been happening on an emotional level after events have attained their full pitch. Reverse explication might be a good term for it. I wonder if creative writing schools teach it? I fear it may be beyond their pale. Here, Lymie Peters and Spud Latham (who feel somehow very much modelled from real life, Maxwell himself possibly being Lymie) meet at school in the 1920s and connect. Spud is just moved to Chicago from country Wisconsin, has a pretty independent mind, is a little different. But he is also a good example of an alpha male; into boxing, not obviously communicative and not that self-aware. He is given to bouts of depression and anger, going out into the streets at night to pick fights, not at all clear as to why. Lymie is also different, but because he is skinny, bad at sports, and good at schoolwork in a kind of dreamy way. These two, who both seem slightly damaged, hit it off. But they are not ostracised or too separate, and share a lot of experiences with their more 'usual' classmates. As they move through school and then on into college, we follow as they have influences on each other's families and friends, and each other, coming to a place of easy relation where Lymie is Spud's helper. But there are always some things that would be awkward - and Lymie is quietly very devoted. So when Spud needs money to join a fraternity, Lymie borrows it and gets it to him anonymously, even though it will take Spud away from the rooming house where they board together. Slowly they draw apart. A mutual friend becomes Spud's girlfriend, but maintains her close connection to Lymie, which causes some frowning tension in Spud's cloudy mind. Spud begins to feel jealousy, and their growing apart widens until Spud confides in one of their friends that he has started to "hate" Lymie. The friend, Reinhart, who has often felt that Lymie ought to get out from under Spud's influence, and under this knowledge this becomes critical, finally decides to tell Lymie what Spud has said. Lymie's reaction is a classic example of Maxwell's technique. He looks a little glassy, and shrugs it off. The next thing we find out is that Lymie has tried to commit suicide. The book ends in hospital with Lymie's slow recovery, and a distressing contretemps with his father, who is a distant man who has never really tried to connect on a deeper level with his son. Mr Peters clumsily attempts a connection; Lymie, unused to reading him in any other way than the basic, misunderstands, and hurts him profoundly. There is also a moment where Spud comes to visit him, now aware of Lymie's borrowing the money to help, and, in a singular moment of revelation, kisses him. Whether this is meant as a signification of acknowledged homosexuality, or something quite a bit less sure, I myself am not sure. It feels readable either way, and as usual we don't really know. Another element which graces this book is atmosphere. The fact that all of this uncertainty and mirrored life happens within a context of limpidly depicted houses and flats and a compellingly directed quiet vision of the everyday 20s and 30s means that we have a brilliant combination of touchable reality and ineffable human spirit. A disarmingly potent book.