First published in 1989,
The Woman Upstairs written by
Mary W.Walters is a timeless tale of a family's descent into dysfunction and
estrangement. A young woman, Diana Guthrie, has been told that her estranged
mother is dying. Neither her mother nor her brother has told her this, but a
friend of the family has taken it upon himself to tell her, believing that it
is the right thing to do. Diana makes the arduous drive from Edmonton, Alberta
to well-heeled Donellon, Ontario, with no clear idea of why she is going to
where she is not wanted, and not knowing what she will do when she gets there.
Diana's mother's family, the Leavenworths, had long been the pre-eminent
family in Donellon society, and her mother and grandmother never let her forget
that. Her haughty, disdainful grandmother despised Diana's father, whose
parents were from the United States, sneering at him and his textile factory in
Donellon as being low-class and generally treating him despicably.
Grandmother despised the Guthrie Textile Factory for its ugliness, its base
origins and considered it to be a blight on the landscape. She was frank in her
opinion that her daughter married far beneath herself.
Despite Grandmother's disdain of her husband, Diana's own mother insisted
that Grandmother live with them, against her husband's earnest wishes.
Grandmother is not simply hateful to Diana's father. She also open in her
intense dislike of Diana, the child of six years of age who did not fit into
the Leavenworth mold. From the moment her grandmother moves in with them, the
Guthrie marriage begins to deteriorate, and Diana's childhood becomes an
endless cycle of guilt and recrimination.
All through her school years, Diana is both admired and despised for her
connection to the Guthrie Textiles, as her father is the largest employer in
Donellon. Her own grandmother's vocal disdain was perhaps a part of that,
giving the local aristocracy permission to feel somehow more upper-class than
someone whose wealth is both new and foreign. She has few close friends and is
awkward and unsure of herself as she traverses the high school years.
There are many open wounds in Diana's relationship with her mother, and the
news that her mother is dying sends Diana into an emotional tailspin, which she
desperately tries to keep contained under the smooth veneer that, if she only
knew it, is the mark of the women in her family.
Her younger brother, Mitchell, still lives with their mother, and is possessed
of an extremely warped view of the situation. He is angry and resentful of
Diana, telling her frankly that she is not welcome there. He arrogantly orders
her to stay away from their mother. Indeed, Diana does hesitate to go upstairs
to her mother’s room, but that is for reasons of her own.
The story of what lies between Diana and her mother unfolds over the space
of several days, during which she lurks downstairs, unwilling to go upstairs to
her dying mother, and unable to leave. Other relationships which had been
poisoned as a by-product of the Guthrie family situation come to light and are
examined for the first time in years.
As a young child, her relationship with her mother was destroyed by her
grandmother, whose hateful actions go unpunished, while Diana's punishments for
natural childish behaviors are never-ending.
Guilt, abandonment and death form the watershed moments in Diana's
childhood. Her father breaks under the extreme pressure of living with his
mother-in-law, and abandons his family, which cuts the young Diana deeply.
The suicide of Noel, the boy she loved, drives her to leave Donellon under a
cloud of hate and suspicion. Many people blame Diana for his death. The story
of what really happened, and what lies between three generations of women in
one family is compelling and impossible to put down.
The characters are clearly drawn and environment in which they live is rich
and vivid.
I highly recommend this
classic book, as either an e-book or as a paperback.
Other books by
Mary W. Walters include several technical books and novels, including
The Whole Clove Diet, a novel that
was just published in March of 2012, and is soon to be available as a Kindle
download.
I guarantee that I will be buying that book!
Miranda, the main character, is just as delicious. She is a bit overweight (who wouldn't be, with all that food) and works in a run down law office where her boss often falls asleep on the floor. She has to learn to maneuver her rolling chair carefully so she won't squash his hand.
She is also a sax player in a local band, and one of her band mates gets bumped off in the beginning. The way that Miranda investigates the murder is funny and well written and completely believable. Oh, and there's a romance, too, and it is delicious as well.
To be honest, I'm not a huge murder mystery fan, but I'm enjoying this book with a great deal of delight. It should be savored, like a whoopie pie, for its flavor and creamy filling.
