Interiors

Jessica Widner
(The 87 press, 2022); pbk: £14,99

Jessica Widner is an author, and scholar from the University of Edinburgh. Her debut novel, Interiors has been featured in such publications as Extra Teeth, Gutter, and The Cardiff Review.

Owen Beausoleil, a poet, is found drowned; three people are haunted by his tragic death: Noah Lang, the doctor who performed the post-mortem; Kitty Lang, his wife who works as a psychotherapist; and Lolita Hammershøi, a friend of the deceased. The lives of these people interweave with Owen who makes an appearance from beyond the grave.

From the first pages, we are immersed in the emotional monologue of the key protagonist Doctor Lang, who feels a need to tie himself to the real world, feeling an unusual connection to the other one, imagining himself as a mediator. Lang later meets with Lola who will become a link between Lang, Kitty, and Owen. Their lives are emotionally coloured by the chain of paranormal events they experience. Each uses the dead man to find something: `the history` or the meaning of life, new emotions through the change of routine. Some are encouraged by their savior complex to act to help others to the extent, even harming themselves, by closing their eyes to the bigger picture. 

Widner talks about love in an unusual manner, instead of filling the book with a happy story about two people, the author writes about a tight knot of people and unpredictable circumstances where everyone has been dealing with a variety of obstacles. Mystical events fill the characters` boring lives, making them want to find the truth and enrich their life with events where they might play the main roles, thereby giving their lives meaning. 

Emotion is one of the main themes of Interiors and prevails in the description of events. The connection we feel to the dead reveals the many possible variations of the afterlife, intertwined with people and the memories they leave behind. The possibility of losing himself makes Owen want to experience life through Lang: `I see of wearing his skin [sic]`. Owen finds out the truth only after his death, going around these people like a ghost, with a clear vision of `how the world really is`. The secret death of Owen is a mystery with some hints dropped, giving us information to ponder.

The book shows examples of unhealthy relationships they experience because of the lack of love, making them seek a sort of mother’s affection from their partners. The constant search for new emotions makes them go against their moral principles and do actions that they know are wrong, but without which they would feel emptiness.

Delusions that surround the main characters are normal human traits following the constant fight of rationality and desires. For some of them the `sense of history` is the most important thing which can affect their behavior and decision-making. Owen and Kitty discuss that in her dream, sharing their understanding of the meaning of life.  

I think this book would be perfect for people keen on psychology, mystery, and the depth of interpersonal relationships. This book can also be a good example of possible unhealthy relationships, and to what such relationships can end up being, ruining not only one’s life but of many people he/she connects with. The book’s ambiguous portrayal of morality prompts a reevaluation of societal behavior norms. For Lola, for example, adultery is a normal phenomenon as her husband also periodically cheated on her. Such life examples lead to the idea that it is necessary not only to behave with respect to other people, but also to be able to get out of unhealthy relationships in time to prevent the creation of psychological trauma and a shift in moral principles.

The end of the book has an open finale, with a sudden narrative gap which allows a reader to think out the rest for himself. The whole book has an interesting storytelling style with many non-linear narratives, flashbacks, and chronological turns.

Sofiia Yevmenkina