The Painter by Peter Heller

★★★★☆ 

A passionate artist, sensitive yet flawed father, detached lover, and contemplative fisherman with a faulty moral compass and an angry streak, Jim Stegner is a multidimensional man. These varied – and sometimes contradictory – elements of Jim’s personality make him a memorable character. 

Heller’s writing style is equally memorable – short and clipped at times, reflectively poetic or clumsily descriptive in others – seemingly varying depending on Jim’s mood and his surroundings. The dialogue is the most abrupt in tone, while Jim’s moments alone are lyrically introspective, and the descriptions – particularly of the women in his life – vascillate between the beautiful and the absurd.

“Isn’t that strange? To be able to feel so much tenderness for a person, and I did, and powerful attraction, sometimes, and yet feel no love.”

One of the more beautiful descriptions: “Her voice was full of colors, like her eyes. It was a current that tugged and flowed with the force of her.” One of the more absurd: “She reminds me of a chicken in the way she is top-heavy, looks like she should topple over. I mean her trim body is small enough to support breasts the size of tangerines and she is grapefruit.”

The strange story, which roams and repeats as much as it reflects, is a moving portrait of grief and explores what can happen when the explosive passion that fuels creativity goes awry.

Ultimately, I am glad I read this book. Although I couldn’t relate to many aspects of the main character, I am unlikely to forget him. I also found myself stopping to note many interesting lines, particularly around creativity, which is also a sign of a lasting impression.

I plan to check out more of Peter Heller’s works to see how they compare to this weird and wonderful work.

To read my review of Celine by Peter Heller, visit this link.