Book: Out Late with Friends and Regrets
Author: Suzanne Egerton
Publisher: Paddy’s Daddy Publishing
If it weren’t for a bad comb over, a walrus
moustache, or the pesky little fact that he
was born in 1816, Gustav Freytag could well have been a modern lesbian author—he
was a soldier, scholar, poet, novelist, critic, playwright, editor, and
publicist.
And five will get you ten that if he had access to Photoshop, he’d
have designed his own book covers.
But Gustav Freytag was indeed a man, and his
name is rarely muttered outside of certain literary circles because his novels,
poems, plays, and critiques were mediocre at best. But for those who understand
the philosophic roots of dramatic structure, Gustav Freytag is an unabashed
rock star simply because he was able to expand upon Aristotle’s thesis from The
Poetics that plot structure must have "a beginning, a middle and an
end." Generally known by the catchy title, “Freytag’s Pyramid,” Gustav
showed that ancient Greek and Shakespearean drama consisted of five, not three,
necessary and distinct elements:
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| Freytag's Pyramid |
Exposition—consists of early material
providing the theme, establishing the setting, introducing the major characters,
and sometimes providing early hints of the coming conflict.
Rising Action—describes
an increase in tension or uncertainty that develops out of the conflict the
protagonist faces.
Climax—relates to the moment of greatest
tension, uncertainty, or audience involvement. The climax is also called the “crisis”
or “turning point.”
Falling Action— deals with events
that occur immediately after the climax. These events are usually the
after-effects of the climax.
Resolution—usually entails a catharsis or
release of dramatic tension. It can also be the content at the end of a story
that ties up loose ends and reveals the final outcome of its conflict.
Of course, some modern literary theorists
delve deeper into the constituents of plot structure—the best example being the
lesser known, but linguistically curious, seven-part theory presented by Dr. Robert E. Longacre in The Discourse
of Grammar.
And, since I’m feeling generous today, I’ll spare everyone my homily
on the differences between Longacre and Freytag.
Suffice it to say, whether you call it dramatic
structure, plot structure, narrative structure, or Freytag’s Pyramid—and whether you cotton to a three-part, five-part, or seven-part structure—in
the end you have a book that consists of a sequence of events that may or may
not have some distinct element of causality involved.
Enter the sweet, sad, funny, and engaging
debut, Out Late with Friends and Regrets,
by Suzanne Egerton. Fiona Hay married young, and allowed her life to be
dictated by her mercurial husband. When he dies suddenly, she finds herself
surrounded by the emptiness of her acquiescence. She is distanced from her
former friends, alienated from her children, and her self-confidence is in tatters.
But an old friend resurfaces, and helps her find ways to pull the pieces of her
former life together, and reconnect and reclaim her independence. Fiona takes
small steps and large, and eventually comes to the stark realization that she is
likely gay.
With the help of a skillful mentor, some
scary but solid decision-making, and a move to the big city, the newly named
Fin finds the confidence to become the woman she was on the path to becoming
before her life took a hard left turn into the world of matrimony. Along the
way, she meets women, makes friends, has her heart broken, begins to reconnect
with her daughter, settles on a new career, and comes face-to-face with a
frightening stalker who could very well take away everything she has worked so
hard to achieve.
Since I introduced Freytag’s Pyramid at the
onset of this review, let me first examine Ms. Egerton’s story arc using it as
a basis:
Exposition—Fiona’s husband dies, she’s
estranged from her children, she has no friends, she lives in the middle of the
country, and it’s altogether likely that she prefers innies over outies.
Rising Action—She sells
her house, moves to the city, starts to make friends, and realizes she has a
stalker whose behavior is escalating.
Climax—She comes face-to-face with her
stalker.
Falling Action—She makes some questionable decisions, but begins to repair relationships, and undertakes a new career path.
Resolution—Fin is a self-realized woman.
Traditionally
speaking, Out Late with Friends and
Regrets fits within the guidelines of Freytag’s dramatic structure.
However, as a reader, the rising action and climax, specifically related to the
stalker, were too far removed and out of synch with the falling action and
resolution. The result is that the stalker storyline and Fin’s journey feel
like parts of two different stories sharing pages within the same narrative.
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| Suzanne Egerton |
Still, Ms. Egerton
offers up a long list of interesting and engaging characters, and sprinkles the
narrative with entertaining, clever, and colloquial dialogue. Her pacing is
quick, the detail is descriptive without being burdensome, and the humor is
honest and charming. Most coming out stories march under the banner of “sturm
und drang,” but Out Late with Friends and
Regrets, in spite of its title, raises the colors of “transformation and
empowerment” as its solemn standard.
Strictly speaking, Out Late with Friends and Regrets is long on story and short on
plot. And while that may sound a bit like damning by faint praise, I assure you
it is not. The story is equal parts journey and journal, and Fin’s narrative
offers compelling exposition and insight into the life of a woman coming out of
more than just one closet—think of it as watching a butterfly emerging from its
chrysalis, totally transformed.
I wouldn’t quite call Out Late with Friends and Regrets a romance, and I wouldn’t call it
a mystery either. But whatever genre it fits into best, it is a story that is surprisingly
hard to walk away from until you have finished reading it.
