Rhine Journey

Starred review from September 2, 2024
This masterful novel from Schlee (1934–2023), shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1981 following its publication in the U.K., chronicles an unmarried middle-aged woman’s repressed emotions. It’s 1851 and Charlotte Morrison is sailing along the Rhine with her censorious but beloved older brother, Rev. Charles Morrison; his thorny wife, Marion; and their 17-year-old daughter, Ellie, “in her heart her child.” Charlotte’s glimpse of fellow passenger Edward Newman, who resembles a man Charlotte loved as a young girl, prompts the return, in her mind, of this thwarted love story, whose details emerge in intensely poignant recollections. Midway through the narrative, a dramatic event prompts increasing proximity between the Morrison and the Newman families and it becomes clear, as the story progresses, that Newman is not the man he appears to be. Meanwhile, Ellie attracts a young Prussian admirer, whose attentions are considered dangerous by her parents, a subplot that parallels Charlotte’s own romantic misfortunes. As Schlee digs toward the truth of the matter, she systematically bores through surface-level appearances to reveal the depths of her characters, especially Charlotte, who considers herself an uninteresting person. but proves to have a poetic mind. This is a triumph. Agent: Andrew Gordon, David Higham Assoc.