Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman
| Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman | |
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| Category: Literary Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Heather Magee
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| Summary: Over the course of a single day, a man must come to terms with his own life. It is a strange unfolding of events, dabbling in existentialism and the occult, but a very worthwhile read. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 168 | Date: January 2026 |
| Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781804272206 | |
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It could be argued that the pervading theme of this book is malaise - a hard-to-place feeling that something in your life is not quite right. The protagonist, a disgraced professor on the brink of losing both his career and his relationship, embodies this feeling. However, Goodman counteracts his discomfort with a force which is seductive, radical and unnerving: Helen. The connection between Helen and the protagonist is indirect yet intimate. As the former owner of the countryside house he's considering, Helen represents a volta in his life, her past tied to his potential fresh start. The realtor who shows the protagonist around the house shares stories about Helen, and describes her as an entity that is pure consciousness, beyond form. Although she lives in an assisted living facility now, Helen has powers beyond comprehension which the reader gets the sense are not altogether innocuous.
It is true that she helps the man with his growing feelings of resentment towards his wife, which stem primarily from jealousy. The man is also deeply troubled about his place in the universe. He wants a legacy, a story to tell, success, happiness. In this way, the book can be extremely contemplative, philosophical - existential, even. The protagonist, under Helen's guidance, digs deep into himself and analyses his most ingrained tendencies. He reveals his insecurities, admitting: when people came to me with praise or admiration, I retreated into self-doubt, preferring to believe they were only doing so to ridicule me. More worryingly, and revealingly, he confesses that he would only try to bring his wife peace so she would stop bothering me with her desire. The book was filled with sharp, unsettling truths that seemed to emerge from the depths of the human psyche. When I read them, the words pierced like a red-hot needle. More than once, I found myself holding my breath during these painfully honest moments, only exhaling when the intensity passed.
All in all, the protagonist is suffering from an intense disenchantment with his life. Even the nature which once inspired his academic work now disgusts him: the city's green spaces now seemed grotesque. These places were not nature at all, but gestures, mere gestures. He is looking for the real thing, not a representation, imitation or a sign denoting nature, but nature in its purest and most substantial form. This is why, when he journeys out to the countryside having separated from his wife, he is easily enchanted by the idyllic setting of the house which is being presented to him. The protagonist, ultimately, is chasing happiness (as everybody is) but Goodman questions what forms this could take in life. The pastoral imagery and the rural idealism is sublimely constructed. The reader themself feels seduced into this rural haven. Helen and the realtor are offering him, ultimately, an alternate way of life, which feels almost like a Faustian bargain in some respects. The book's denouement is a manifestation of the desires he has expressed, except there are sinister undertones which are ambiguous yet palpable in the book's final pages.
Although the novel starts off in a fairly conventional manner, devoid of any supernatural elements, its unconventional themes might be subtly suggested through its structure. Aside from Helen, the characters remain unnamed, referred to only as "wife," "man," and "realtor," which creates an air of detachment and unreality. Additionally, the chapters are labeled as "acts," enhancing the sense that the story is more like a play than a traditional narrative. This theatrical tone becomes even more apparent during the séance scene, where the realtor channels Helen, delivering messages to the protagonist. As they communicate, one character's dialogue is italicised while the other's actions are described in regular font, and then they switch. It feels like stage directions dictating shifts in power.
This was, on the whole, a surprising novel which prompts questions about one's values in life: the spiritual or the material, legacy or mindfulness, present or future? One quiet section, for me, sums up the reading experience of this book perfectly:
She got up early to sit on the deck with coffee to watch the fog lift, feel the dew suck back up into the air revealing the green daylight beneath it. To pay attention, you had to spend hours.
It is trying at times to wade through the ambiguities and philosophical musings of Goodman's prose, but it is rewarding in the end to watch the fog lift, and spend the time.
I'd like to thank the publisher, Fitzcarraldo Editions, for sending an ARC of this book. Readers might also enjoy Lili is Crying by Helene Bessette. We can also recommend Emergency by Daisy Hildyard.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free. (Paid link)
You can read more book reviews or buy Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman at Amazon.com. (Paid link)
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