The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie

The Portable Veblen was a National Book Award nominee, a Bailey’s prize finalist and talked about on NPR.  I found I had an advance copy — and gave it try…especially after reading the book’s publicity blurbs.

“A delightfully cockeyed love story that enfolds two splendidly dysfunctional families and a winningly persistent squirrel.”

“No matter how many novels you’ve read, it’s safe to say you’ve never read a novel like The Portable Veblen.”

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The main character, Veblen Amundsen-Howda was named after Thorstein Veblen, an early twentieth century economist who despised corporations, materialism, and the consumer class  – a sort of Norwegian Henry Thoureau.

Okay, once I had that figured out, I carried on reading. 

Our Veblen is plagued by a hypochondriac, verbally abusive mother. Her father is in a mental institution. There’s a stepfather who suffers from PTS.  And Veblen herself has a bizarre obsession with squirrels.  She talks to squirrels, convinced they’re the only ones who care and understand her life situation.

A few more chapters and we discover that Veblen bites her own arm in times of stress, there’s a strangulation attempt, and the final straw — attempted humor around the abuse of a disabled child.

Had there been a fire in the fireplace I would have burned the thing* — so instead I threw The Portable Veblen on the floor in disgust.

I was forewarned that there would be family dysfunction – (see the blurbs above)… 

But these characters go beyond dysfunctional — they are nasty pieces of work and season ticket holders on the crazy train.

 

 

 

 

And, my friends, child abuse is never, ever funny.

 

 

 

 

 

* When I was a little girl, there was a famous incident in which, disgusted with what he was reading, my grandfather threw the errant book across the room into the fireplace.

Had we had a fire that evening —

I Would Have Done The Same.

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