First Love is a study in unhappy relationships. Neve and Edwyn have an
uncomfortable marriage. The reader is to expect nothing less as we are told
early on that they’d both planned to be alone and married against their better
judgment. Neve is a writer with a part-time job to subsidise her income,
something which Edwyn seems to consider a flaw on her part, relying on him to
provide for her. He is significantly older, has an illness which frequently
causes him pain, and takes his frustrations out on Neve and rages against women
more generally.
As a reader the perpetual question is why are they together. Edwyn
claims freedom is the most important thing, something which he evidently feels
Neve restricts. Even in the scenes showing their supposed affection the terms
of endearment he uses have an unpleasant edge – ‘little compost heap’ and
‘little cabbage’. Later in the novel we see what can only be described as
abusive behaviour and Neve’s attempts to cope with his outbursts. In an interview, Riley commented that she hoped by the end you could see that there was
something in Neve that drives him to these rages, which is not to say it’s her
fault. A complex and difficult emotional situation.
We are also show how Neve’s psychological makeup was forged through
a challenging upbringing. Her father was a bully and after his separation from
her mother forces himself into Neve’s life. He is controlling and sometimes
cruel. Edwyn accuses her, during an argument, of relating to him in the same way
she did her father. The reader can’t help but wonder if her intimate relations
have indeed been coloured by this dysfunctional parental relationship.
Her mother also proves to be a challenge. She leads a chaotic life
and is needy in a child-like way. She married again but found unhappiness once more and so looks for her next companion, her attempts to date falling flat. Neve
tells us that she doesn’t want to end up like her, which perhaps goes some way
to explaining why she perseveres with Edwyn. Her mother is an intriguing character,
seemingly deeply unhappy yet determinedly optimistic. She mentions in passing
sexual trauma in her youth which she claims not to have been deeply affected by
yet her reaction to suggestions of sexual desire and her marital celibacy
suggest otherwise. Neve is frustrated by her but won’t fully cut her off.
First Love is a powerful, uncomfortable read. The first-person narrative
perhaps skews our opinion in Neve’s favour and yet you’re left feeling like you
can’t quite pin her down. Is everyone as unfair to her as she thinks, or does
she have a deep seated aversion to being relied upon that makes her feel she is
being taken advantage of? An intriguing, complex little book.
No comments:
Post a Comment