Hardship, Grief and Healing: Carol Dunbar's Novel The Net Beneath Us

"Grief" -- Painting modified with Photoleap

Tschaikovski's Sixth Symphony, famously known as the Pathétique, was not well received when first performed in 1893. The actual name he gave to it was The Passionate Symphony, though the word could acceptably be translated The Emotional or Emotive Symphony. Decades would pass before Igor Stravinski brought it forward and praised it as "ahead of its time." 

What's distinctive about the composition is the sinking feeling one gets throughout, but especially in the the fourth movement, a grinding drawn out decline that is in sharp contrast to most 19th century symphonies that customarily end with a big finish, a buoyant crescendo. When the composer died 9 days later, the suspicion was that Tschaikovski had deliberately permitted himself to become ill-unto-death by drinking unboiled water that carried cholera.

While reading The Net Beneath Us, Carol Dunbar's first novel, the preceding thoughts about Tschaikovski's Sixth came to mind. 

The Net Beneath Us opens in gut-wrenching fashion. Elsa Arnasson grew up in the city but now finds herself living deep in the woods of Northwest Wisconsin. When her husband Silas, a logger, gets felled by a tree he was attempting to fell, Elsa becomes emotionally disoriented as the weight of what lies ahead suddenly falls on her shoulders. 

What's challenging for Elsa (the heroine) is that Silas is not killed outright, but left in a coma, hooked to machines in a persistent vegetative state. His death alone, however, is not what leaves her undone. Rather, the ongoing grind of "what now?" and "what next?" drones on and drains her, leading to impossible decisions. She also has two young children and a wagonload of anxieties.

The book is laid out in a manner that coincides with the seasons, opening with Fall. Fall is always a busy time of year because winter is just a stone's throw away. There always seems to be too much to do and serious regret at projects that have yet to be completed, like the second floor of the house Silas was building for the family.

The challenges of living "in the woods" are presented in detail. Winter is usually half the year in these parts. One of the consequences of the accident, for example, is having to deal with keeping heat in the house. No one ever taught Elsa how to chop wood. There are also other characters in the story who add complications. 

Although this is not the type of story I normally pick up, I was captured from the first pages by Dunbar's writing. Her vivid descriptions are amplified by wonderful metaphors and similes. She's what I would call "a writer's writer." What I mean is that the average reader will enjoy the story but may not notice the author's craftsmanship and her magical ability to turn a phrase. Other writers will. She practices what the writing manuals preach: avoid cliches.

Other stories came to mind while reading this book. The film Phenomenon, with John Travolta, made an impact on me when I saw it. One of the sub-themes in the movie had to do with the interconnectedness of trees and their root systems and the fleeting span of our own lives.

 The second is a non-fiction book, A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis, based on a real story about grieving and healing. Lewis penned some frank and troubling passages regarding the inner turbulence we experience when we lose a loved one and all our internal props are upended. For Lewis, it was the death of his wife, Joy Davidman. 

Hence we follow Elsa as she passes through the seasons, wrestling with her fears and struggling to get a handle on her life. This is another area where Dunbar shines. Elsa and all the characters behave in ways that feel authentic. At various points we're taken inside Elsa's introspective thought-procession; it rattles with reality as she peels scabs away to face the open wounds within.

My only difficulty with the book was keeping track of characters. It seemed like every time I encountered someone I kept having to go back and review earlier sections of the book to see what their connection was to the story. (Full disclosure: It's possible that I may have been at fault because I was reading three books at the same time.)

You can find The Net Beneath Us at all our local book stores. If you're from elsewhere, it's readily available here at Amazon.

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Related Link
Interview with Carol Dunbar: A Ghostwriter Who Lives in the Woods