Dept of Speculation
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Department of
Speculation by Jenny Offill is a brief novel
soaked with vignettes of real life details, oddities, and
observations used to display how fragile domestic life is – as if
everything balances on a delicate thread and one fray will send the
world spinning. The main characters, simply referred to as “the
husband” and “the wife”, lease a home in Brooklyn and begin
their new life complete with its emotional side effects and quirks.
We see the inner struggles of the wife as she battles depression and
a lack of self esteem. We see emotional spirals that everyone is
familiar with, though many may dampen that voice. Offill's style is
something I can definitely appreciate: she says what needs to be
said, nothing more. No flowers, no frills.
I have to say, the
most interesting part of this book is it's form: there is no plot,
just a collection of little details and thoughts from the wife's
perspective. She shares her feelings, her insecurities, and even her
love/hate relationship with yoga which no doubt represents her
emotional instability. Though this perspective offers few “full”
details, part of the fun is that my mind would take the raw material
and fill in the blanks. I began to create my own scenarios for the
novel as I continued. However, this same tone can also leave you in
bewilderment and at times I was confused as to which scenario was
currently occurring or who was speaking to the wife.
Surprisingly, there
were quite a few funny moments! In particular, Offill referred to the
Internet meme I CAN HAZ CHEEZEBURGER, to which the wife later refers
to in a moment of cheek and confidence when approached by flirtatious
men by thinking I CAN HAS BOYFRIEND?
Overall, the tone of
the novel is rather melancholy – the wife battles depression, sees
various therapists, suffers a miscarriage, and absorbs the husband's
infidelity. Though the infidelity begins to push the wife over the
edge, she slowly returns to daily life and begins a new chapter with
the husband. I would not say this is a story of forgiveness, more
acceptance of life's cards. Nonetheless, it is a very refreshing view
of inner turmoil.
