All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve

All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve

Published by Abacus/Little Brown 2003

ISBN: 0 349 115583

All He Ever Wanted is an evocative story of love and passion, which is fed to the reader in small, delicious bites. There are two significant features to this novel.

It is written in the first person, a difficult point of view to maintain, but never the less Shreve does this well. First person is told through only one set of eyes so demands a certain expertise in providing the right element of showing and telling.

Secondly, it is written as a kind of account, a stream of thought from the main character (who is a man) and who is recalling the events on a long train journey. Again, this style requires a significant skill to ensure that the reader does not become bored or distracted. Again, something, which the author manages well.

The main character and narrator is Nicholas Van Tassel, Professor of English and Rhetoric (no less) at Thrupp College in New Hampshire. The secondary but equally central character is the love interest of said Professor, Etna Bliss the niece of one of his colleagues.

The two meet very soon in the account, following a fire at a hotel where they are both dining, separately. Van Tassel accompanies Etna and her aunt to the safety of their home following the distressing incident. He is at once mesmerised by Etna’s beauty and is unperturbed by her cool, almost mannequin-like demeanour. He courts her slowly and we learn of his growing lust and indeed love for her. She is all he ever wanted. However, Etna does not have the same feelings and when Van Tassel plucks up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage, she begs for some time to think. But she leaves, returning to her family home without informing him and he is devastated. He is not taking her absence for granted though, follows her, and persuades her to accept him.

However, whilst his relationship with Etna will go on for some years, Van Tassel is beleaguered by a notion that starts on his wedding night and the consummation of their marriage. He says nothing but it is this niggle which will eat away at him and their relationship. They have two children – a girl and a boy and on the outer surface appear to have a normal life. Until some fourteen years later when the promotion sought by Van Tassel is put at risk by a newcomer. A man of the Jewish faith and whom has some knowledge of Etna. But it is not this that seals the fate of Van Tassel; he also finds out that Etna has been keeping something secret from him. It is when he confronts her about it that her true feelings for him are revealed more openly. She leaves with the children but is persuaded to return by a sequence of events which Van Tassel constructs but does not understand their true consequence.

All He Ever Wanted is a story of love, jealous passion, unrequited dedication but also a story of deceit, lies that take many guises. It is also a reflection of the societies demands of the times (late 1900’s) and its prejudices regarding faith and its portrayal of the role of women. Shreve portrays so beautifully the love felt by one man for one woman and how that love can be all consuming with unwanted outcomes.

Readability Rating  = 7 (the style takes a bit of getting used to)

Recommendation    = Yes, if you like a slow, simple but evocative tale