A Puzzled Stop in Umbria

Last night we met to discuss My House in Umbria by William Trevor. Root beer floats hit the spot for refreshments. As a general rule, people seemed to like the movie better the book. Our discussion centered around the character of Emily Delahunty. It's not immediately obvious in the book that Emily is an unreliable narrator. Many members expressed confusion about the action taking place, her remembered vignettes, and the stories she spun. In the movie, the misting effect and specific music (pointed our by our new music teacher member) signaled a switch from real time. We agreed that her active inner life was a coping mechanism. Along with the alcohol, she could dull the pain remaining from her past. She played the role of victim throughout the book, an abandoned baby, an abused child, used by men, victim of the blast. Lots of folks thought the movie ended better than the book, with more hope. Whether she would be a better guardian for Aimee in the long run drew some debate. Probably not one of the favorite selections of the year, but many still appreciated the fact that it was a sympathetic story about a female written by a male.