Possible Pick: Elegies for the Brokenhearted
Posted by: Rebecca Vnuk
Christie Hodgen’s Elegies for the Brokenhearted has lots to offer for discussion. There is her unusual story structure: a life, told though deaths. The novel is broken down into five long stories, all about people who have touched the life of the narrator, Mary. As we move through the stories, Hodgen deftly weaves Mary’s coming-of-age story as well as introducing characters you’re not likely to soon forget.
There’s Mary’s Uncle Mike, doted on by his sisters but destined to be alone; a loner from Mary’s school days, Elwood, whose story reveals the harsh life Mary’s lived; her college roommate, Carson, a troubled girl with secrets and a hard life of her own; a musician named James, who might be Mary’s last link to her runaway sister; and finally, Mary’s mother Margaret, married 5 times.
Hodgen does a fantastic job creating all of these characters while at the same time, focusing on her narrator and weaving her heartbreaking story. Themes of love, loss, choice, fate, and family abound, making for some great discussion points.
