Corduroy Mansions (Alexander McCall Smith) Conclusion

One of the most impressive aspects of this book – and my impression is that most, if not all, of McCall Smith’s other books follow suit – is that the writing manages to grip our interest tightly despite the fact that there are no events of a drastic, shocking, or violent nature.  Yes, Terence almost died in his experiment with electricity, but even that was ultimately downplayed as just another of life’s random twists.  But the closest thing we get to an Antagonist is Snark, and he is merely irritating; not threatening anyone with violence or mayhem.  Essentially, the book is Antagonist-free, and there are no murders, bombs, threats, or significant tragedies to speak of.

This author does tend to get philosophical, to the point of including little mini-lectures in his “The Sunday Philosophy Club” series.  Here, we get a short discussion between Hugh and Barbara on the question of religious belief.  Hugh speaks of an advertisement he saw for Atheism on the side of a bus, and wonders if ‘ “…it’s best not to voice doubts about beliefs that mean a great deal to someone else.”  “Yes,” Barbara said.  “I agree.  I suppose that being kind to one another includes not saying things you think may be true but which threaten to upset other people unduly.  People may need their beliefs.  For all I know, in their essence, in the heart of what they say, those beliefs may be expressing something that is very true – something that people really need to help them through life.”’  This “utilitarian” view of religion has always struck me as disingenuous, but the point is well made.

This sudden relationship between Hugh and Barbara has us wondering if Hugh is a con artist, or worse.  Barbara comes close to wondering that herself.  Certain passages seem to put this to rest, and yet the issue remains unresolved as the book comes to a close.  The relationship between William and Marcia as “roommates” appears to be satisfactorily resolved as we see Marcia suddenly taking an interest in Basil.  However, the James/Caroline situation takes an unexpected twist:  ‘ “But it’s not going to work, is it?”  For a moment, he said nothing … Then he looked at her and his look was full of tenderness.  “No, you’re right.  It won’t.  And I’ve been meaning to tell you something.  I’ve met somebody else.  Somebody … well, somebody who makes more sense for me – for the way I am.”  She felt immediate relief, mixed with pleasure for him.  She wanted James to be happy.  “What’s his name?” she asked.  It was a misjudged question.  “It’s a she, actually.  Her name is Annette.” ’ Ha!  A beautifully placed bombshell!  Suddenly, Caroline is not so eager to give him up; vows to pursue him after all, in fact!

And Basil Wickramsinghe turns out to have some real depth, as well. To Caroline, who admits to having “man trouble”:  ‘ “There are three sorts of man trouble,” he said.  “There is one where there is no man.  There is one where there is one man.  And there is one where there is more than one man … That probably seems very difficult, but it isn’t.  Not really. You can find the answer by doing a very simple thing.  Close your eyes and then tell me which one you see … It’s rather like dream analysis.  Dreams are meant to tell us about our inmost desires, aren’t they?  But the problem with dreams is that we can’t anticipate in advance which desires they will reveal.  If you do what I suggest, your conscious mind can instruct your subconscious mind to respond.” ‘  And, upon, trying this, she sees neither one.  She sees a perfect stranger, indicating that neither man is right for her, which, true to her nature, she goes on to ignore!

So, how does the author resolve the central tension of the book, which consists of all these various virtually unrelated storylines, these “loose threads”?  Simple; William throws a party at his flat and invites everyone who lives at Corduroy Mansion and their guests!  The reader mingles with the characters by way of overhearing snippets of conversation which help to tie up the loose ends to some extent – leaving open plenty of questions that just cry out for a serialization (which, of course, was the intention after all).  And he closes out the last chapter with a poem William wrote and reads to the group which more or less sums up the feelings of everyone there – and sums up the premise of the book as well.

September’s book of the month; “Killing the Shadows,” by Val McDermid!

“McDermid is our leading pathologist of everyday evil … the subtle orchestration of terror is masterful.”  Guardian

“Killing the Shadows exerts the dangerous pull of a rip tide, drawing us towards its unsettling resolution.”  Independent

“A multi-layered novel, as hauntingly strung together as a hangman’s noose.”  Sunday Express

Week 1:  Chapters 1-14 
(First post, 9-5-14)

Week 2:  Chapters 15-29
Week 3:  Chapters 30-43
Week 4:  Chapters 44-Epilogue