When Lucy admitted to having no plans for his future the priest took the trouble to write letters of introduction to every castle within a hundred kilometres, the idea being that Lucy might excel at some manner of servant. These letters went unanswered save for one, penned by a man named Myron Olderglough, the majordomo of one Baron Von Aux's estate in the remote wilderness of the eastern mountain range. Mr. Olderglough had been won over by Father Raymond's romantic description of Lucy as an “unmoored soul in search of nestled safe-harbour”. (It was rumoured Father Raymond spent his friendless nights reading adventure novels, which coloured his dreams and waking life as well. Whether this was true or not is unknown; that the priest was partial to poetic turns of phrase is inarguable.) An offer of employment and terms of payment rounded out the missive. The position (Mr. Olderglough assigned it the name of undermajordomo, which Lucy and Father Raymond decided was not a word at all) was lowly and the pay mirrored this but Lucy, having nothing better to do, and nowhere in the world to be, and feeling vulnerable at the idea of the man in burlap's return, embraced his fate and wrote back to Mr. Olderglough, formally accepting the offer, a decision which led to many things, including but not limited to true love, bitterest heartbreak, bright-white terror of the spirit, and an acute homicidal impulse.I hate to start with such a large chunk, but Undermajordomo Minor is so quirky a book that it seems better to show than attempt to describe; and at least this excerpt from the beginning serves as a broad plot outline (and explains the odd title, for Lucy's full name is Lucien Minor). On the dustjacket, it says this book is “a triumphant ink-black comedy of manners” and that's precisely correct: I found myself laughing out loud – and most especially at the dialogue – but looking back at the sections that I had marked, they lose something out of context. I wonder if the following – again, apologetically long – works as an example of what I mean:
Mr. Olderglough rubbed his hands together. “Now, what do you think of it?”I do hope that these excerpts will give the flavour of Undermajordomo Minor because, while the book is full of unexpected twists and engaging characters, it's the mood that author Patrick deWitt captures that makes it feel special. In this interview, deWitt says that he got his inspiration while reading fairytales to his son, and while in the acknowledgements he references several authors whose works he “considered” while writing, he could have included William Goldman because, more than anything, this book has the snap and heart of The Princess Bride (but definitely for adults, if only for the placement of a candle used to light postprandial cigars...)
Lucy said, “I think it's somewhat far-fetched, sir.”
“Are you not up for it?”
“I'm not, actually, no. And to be frank, sir, I don't believe you are, either.”
“What sort of attitude is that? Let us rally, boy.”
“Let us come up with another plan.”
“Let us look within ourselves and search out the dormant warrior.”
“Mine is dormant to the point of non-existence, sir. There is no part of me that wishes to lay nakedly abed and await the man's arrival.”
“I tell you you will not be alone.”
“And yet I shall surely feel alone, sir.”
Mr. Olderglough looked down the length of his nose. “May I admit to being disappointed in you, boy?”
“You may write a lengthy treatise on the subject, sir, and I will read it with interest. But I highly doubt there will be anything written within those pages which will alter my dissatisfaction with the scheme.”
With plenty of dialogue and much white space, this 300+ page book takes only a few hours (certainly less than five) to read, but it doesn't feel lightweight. I loved The Sisters Brothers, and although Undermajordomo Minor is something completely different, it once again shows that deWitt is writing some of the most interesting and entertaining fiction out there – it doesn't all need to be ironic and bleak and postmodern; sometimes a person wants to read about a young man who'll board a train in pursuit of true love.
I can imagine this book winning the Giller, and although that wouldn't disappoint me, it's not my top pick. Do I need to mention that once again a deWitt book cover has blown my mind? That's Lucy in his tower room at the castle, spying on the village below with his (or, more properly, Mr Bloom's) telescope. Gorgeous.
The longlist for the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize in my order of ranking is:
Anakana Schofield - Martin John
Marina Endicott - Close to Hugh
Patrick deWitt - Undermajordomo Minor
Heather O’Neill - Daydreams of Angels
Connie Gault - A Beauty
André Alexis - Fifteen Dogs
Clifford Jackman - The Winter Family
Alix Hawley - All True Not a Lie in It
Rachel Cusk - Outline
Russell Smith - Confidence
Samuel Archibald - Arvida
Michael Christie - If I Fall, If I Die
Anakana Schofield - Martin John
Marina Endicott - Close to Hugh
Patrick deWitt - Undermajordomo Minor
Heather O’Neill - Daydreams of Angels
Connie Gault - A Beauty
André Alexis - Fifteen Dogs
Clifford Jackman - The Winter Family
Alix Hawley - All True Not a Lie in It
Rachel Cusk - Outline
Russell Smith - Confidence
Samuel Archibald - Arvida
Michael Christie - If I Fall, If I Die
*Won by Fifteen Dogs; not my favourite but fine.
