Product Description

A novel by the author of "Women in Black" and "A Pure Clear Light". It concerns things that women will do to hold on to love and things men will do to esape it. Having been told by her partner that they should separate, Nicola returns from the off-licence to find him changed from the man she knew.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #706141 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
Nicola's life is perfect, or so it seems. She is a London arts worker who shares a beautiful Notting Hill flat with Jonathan, her affluent lawyer boyfriend, and their friends all expect an announcement of their engagement to follow shortly. Instead, Nicola's life falls apart. She returns from the shop one night to be told by Jonathan that he no longer loves her and that he expects her to move out. Nicola's friends, married and single, rally round as do her family - and through their eyes we build up a picture of the failed relationship until Nicola is finally able to see Jonathan for what he really is and find the courage to move on. This is a slight, but very engaging novel: the theme is limited but Madeleine St John, a skilled observer of the minutiae of human existence, writes like a dream. (Kirkus UK)

The anatomy of a breakup, rendered with unswerving precision by the author of A Pure Clear Light (not reviewed), etc. Out of the blue, Jonathan informs Nicola that he's concluded she should move out of the apartment they've shared for years. It seems he no longer loves her. She asks him to repeat himself; he is cold, vague and certain of his decision. Numb, unable to think, Nicola seeks refuge with her friend Susannah, who holds her while she cries and attempts to comfort her with the requisite observations about the stupidity of men. Initially, Nicola defends Jonathan; she scans the recent past in search of warning signs, of hidden flaws in herself that he may finally have recognized. Jonathan proposes that he buy Nicola out of the apartment that they own together and that had been hers first, back in the days when his friends thought he was incredibly lucky to have nabbed a girlfriend, any girlfriend. Jonathan (who, to the extent he reflects on the breakup, believes that Nicola has done something to his soul) does have his twinges of suffering: the house feels rather empty, he has no clue as to how to feed himself, he remains in the spare room (why not?). Meanwhile, Nicola sleepwalks her way to a new life. She moves into Susannah's house, idly applies for really good jobs she has no hope of getting, goes out dancing all night with friends from work. If the mechanics of the separation are underwhelming, the backdrop of harried but true-blue friends, kind children, and decent if intrusive parents shows, with richness and realism, the post-breakup interplay between internal turmoil and ongoing real life. This deceptively easy read, then, is in fact spare, sure-handed, and emotionally canny. (Kirkus Reviews)

Customer Reviews

Perfectly crafted and true account of relationship break-up
'The Essence of the Thing' is a perfectly crafted account of a relationship break-up in which every word of dialogue and every development in the plot ring absolutely true. The plot is straight-forward: Nicola comes home after popping out to buy some cigarettes and her partner Jonathan, with whom she co-habits, informs her that he wants to break-up. In short, punchy chapters Madeleine St John then skillfully sets out the events that led to the pronouncement that takes so Nicola completely by shock, and the aftermath of Jonathan's unilateral decision for both parties.

Although the novel focuses more on Nicola, St John does allow Jonathan to explain the reasoning behind his decision, and there is a total absence of authorial judgment throughout the novel on the actions of the characters. This objectivity is largely achieved by allowing the characters to tell their own story through large exchanges of dialogue. And what dialogue! St John has an incredible ear, convincingly relying on dialogue both to develop the storyline and to flesh out the characters of the troubled couple, their friends and parents.

Despite the sadness obviously inherent in the storyline, the mood of the novel is elevated by the warmth and humanity demonstrated by many of the characters, particularly towards Nicola. Furthermore, 'The Essence of the Thing' contains generous doses of humour including lively banter from Nicola's friends to cheer her up; sparkling marital exchanges between Nicola's friend Susannah and her loving husband Geoffrey; and the delightful observations of their wonder child, Guy.

Thank you so much to the judges for the 1997 Booker Prize for short-listing 'The Essence of the Thing', without which it is unlikely to have come to my attention. Booker-nominated novels, including winners, over the award's 37-year history have met fates ranging from obscurity and life in remainder bins through to near universal critical acclaim and time at the top of best-seller lists. This literary gem deserves to be widely read, so please, please track it down and help ensure that it realises its rightful destiny.

A beautiful book about endings.
This is the truest, most lucid desciption of a relationship break-up that you'll ever read. Simple, elegant prose carries the reader through the plot with insight that makes you catch your breath; St. John has every feeling, every move exactly right and each line is invested with emotion and care for it's subject and characters. It is very well and originally structured - a really beautiful book.

Insightful and surprisingly uplifting
This is the sort of book (one about couples splitting up) that I rarely read; I only did so because of its 1997 Booker nomination. However, I'm glad I did. Sparklingly written, gripping, very readable, and a good ending.