At last I am done with The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie. It is a fun book from start to finish, thought the finish is a little too… convenient? Cut and dry? Easy? Yes, easy I think. It doesn’t ruin the whole book or anything I just found myself wishing it were different.
The Portable Veblen is told mostly from the limited third person perspective of Veblen Amundsen-Hovda and Paul Vreeland but sometimes the narrative switches to other perspectives including a squirrel’s. Paul and Veblen get engaged early in the novel but throughout Veblen has doubts. And for a while it seems like her doubts are legitimate because fundamentally her values and Paul’s do not match.
Paul, a neurologist who has invented a device to quickly and safely treat traumatic brain injuries in the field, is being sucked in by a huge pharmaceutical company. He is rather innocent to the fact that they want him and his patent so they can make a lot of money, not because they actually want to help people. Paul, believing himself to have “made it” exhibits a sudden interest in expensive, gas guzzling cars, expensive houses and flashy engagement rings.
Veblen is nervous about all of this and begins talking to squirrels. Again. We get hints that this is something she has done before and that it signals some possible mental health issues but we never get the story, just frequent visits from one particular squirrel and their “conversations.”
That Veblen has mental health issues is no surprise when we meet her overbearing, hypochondriac mother. Veblen has spent her entire life trying to smooth things over so as not to upset her mother. Veblen’s father is also in a mental institution being treated for severe PTSD and it isn’t clear whether he will ever be well enough to live on his own. So it is no wonder she thinks Paul’s easy going, laid back hippie parents are the best and fails to see they have their own family dynamic problems stemming from Paul’s brother Justin suffering brain damage at birth due to the cord being wrapped around his neck.
The novel is about Veblen and Paul but also their families and navigating the waters of mental health issues and family dynamics, of guilt and anger and repressed feelings and being forced into a particular role within the family not because that is what you want but because that is what the family wants. It affects who you become, how you navigate the world, and the manner in which you build a relationship with your future spouse.
Veblen is named for the economist and sociologist Thosrtein Veblen. I had heard the name before but knew nothing about the man. When I looked him up it turns out he coined the term “conspicuous consumption.” He was born in Wisconsin and then lived in Nerstrand, Minnesota for a very long time, went to college at Carleton College, just south of the Twin Cities. I discovered his family’s farm is a historical site that has been turned into a flower farm and wedding venue and if I want to make an appointment and pay what looks to be minimum $120 I and nine of my friends can have a tour, or I and a couple friends could have a tour and a picnic lunch or lemonade and cookies on the lawn. I will not be making a visit.
I very much enjoyed The Portable Veblen. I almost like squirrels now. Almost. The book is on the shortlist for the Bailey’s Prize. I am not sure it will win, but then again maybe it will. A Good book though regardless. If you are looking for something a little quirky, a bit sweet but not saccharine, character driven, and rich but not overly complex — it’s a Goldilocks kind of book — then chances are good you will have a pleasant reading experience.
This sounds interesting. I can’t imagine anything can improve my view of squirrels, though.
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AMB, heh, perhaps you may be inspired to try and have conversations with the squirrels 😉
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That note about Veblen’s farm is sort of hideously funny.
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Carolyn, I know! Oh the irony. If Veblen hadn’t been cremated and his ashes spread on the Pacific Ocean, we could imagine him spinning in his grave 🙂
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Ha!
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Excellent! I will be reading it for sure, now that you and Alice (of Books) have both vouched for it. Plus, I always love reading about family dynamics. I wish I could read more nonfiction about family dynamics. Wouldn’t that be interesting? Especially about, like, family culture — like how my family never, ever, ever shouts at each other unless it’s Really Serious; and other families shout all the time and it doesn’t mean anything.
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Sounds quite an interesting light novel. I must look out for the Penguin anthology that gives the novel its title. As you say, it is Veblen who coined the term Conspicuous Consumption and was a wonderfully mordant writer who explains the bling displays of his day (and ours) so well.
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Ian, light but not fluffy light. Smart light? I have requested The Portable Veblen from the library to investigate further as he seems like such an interesting person.
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Jenny, trouble is, those nonfiction books about family dynamics tend to be misery memoirs and I know how you feel about those! What you are wishing for would be really interesting, especially when trying to figure out the dynamics of your spouse’s family and attempting to escape or change those of your own!
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I keep reading descriptions of this and thinking it sounds terribly brittle and ironic and American-upper-middle-class. Is it? (Or is it okay that it is?)
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Elle, ironic, somewhat. American definitely. Brittle and upper-middle class? Not brittle at all. Not really upper-middle class either though everyone in the novel is college educated except Veblen who dropped out of college and works as a secretary and a Norwegian translator. So more of a comfortably middle-class sort of story.
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Ah! Interesting how summaries can create snap judgments in our heads, isn’t it? Maybe I shall seek this one out.
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Elle, summaries can be a challenge most definitely and skew one’s perspective of the book. I rarely read blurbs or back of books anymore because they never seem to quite fit the reality.
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I agree! And I think many of them are pulled and pushed to fit marketing categories when their interest really often lies in the fact that they don’t fit neatly!
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You hit the nail on the head! 🙂
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I’m curious about the squirrel part. I’m trying to think of another fiction book with squirrels in it and the only thing I can come up with is Peter Wiggin’s torture of them… I admire their determination and cleverness but get so frustrated at their digging in my garden! The family dynamics part sounds interesting too.
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Jeane, squirrels are everywhere in this book and one of the reasons Veblen is thinking getting married to Paul might not work out is because he hates squirrels. I do appreciate how clever squirrels are but, like you, they are so frustrating when they did in my garden or help themselves to the fruits of my labor! The Guardian had a list a month or two ago of books with squirrels in them.
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This sounds really different and quirky.
The characters and plot also sound like it would appeal to me.
Squirrels are nice creatures 🙂
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Brian Joseph, a little off the beaten path but not radically so. Quirky for sure. I must have all the evil squirrels of the world living in my garden 🙂
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I plan to pick this one up at the library on my way home tonight. I read the first few chapters on a “preview” and I think I might like it. The writing seems pretty crisp at any rate.
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Grad, I hope you like it! The writing is indeed crisp. It stays out of the way of the story while adding to the pleasure. If that makes sense!
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“That Veblen has mental health issues is no surprise when we meet her overbearing, hypochondriac mother. Veblen has spent her entire life trying to smooth things over so as not to upset her mother.”
These two sentences describe my own life! I don’t know if that means I will relate to Veblan or not, but your review has definitely piqued my interest.
As for the scientist Veblan, $120 seems a bit steep just to tour the grounds. I wonder who actually pays that…
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Michelle, hmm, I am not sure what to tell you on that one! Perhaps you will find a kindred spirit? Or maybe be encouraged to begin talking to squirrels? 😉
I can’t imagine they get many tours. Since the place is also a wedding venue I suspect most of the tours are intended for brides who are looking for a place to hold the wedding.
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Wonderful! Wonderful…I am so getting this one soon!
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Yay! I hope you like it!
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