“A Perfect Explanation” by Eleanor Anstruther
A Perfect Explanation is an obvious passion project for the author, detailing her own family history. But the problem with true stories is they often lack the narrative and characters that make fiction engaging, and the problem with family history is that it is rarely interesting outside of your own family. And by honouring the truth, Anstruther's obvious talent is unable to overcome these issues.
Enid Campbell, granddaughter of a duke, grew up surrounded by servants, wanting for nothing except love. But when her brother died in the First World War, a new heir was needed, and it was up to Enid to provide it.
A troubled marriage and three children soon followed. Broken by postpartum depression, overwhelmed by motherhood and a loveless marriage, Enid made the shocking decision to abandon her family, thereby starting a chain of events—a kidnap, a court case, and selling her son to her sister for £500—that reverberated through the generations
If I had to come up with a one-line description for A Perfect Explanation, it would be "The inevitable result of privilege".
I didn't enjoy A Perfect Explanation. It's not that Anstruther isn't a good writer. The actual skill behind the works is undeniable. And it's not the unlikeable characters. Some of the most popular characters in literature are wholly unlikeable.
No, the problem with this book is that the characters are unlikeable and unsympathetic.
The Campbell family are a privileged aristocratic family slowly fading into irrelevance due to their innate expectation that everything should just work out for them. Each of them is unbearable in their own way, raging at the world for not simply giving them everything they want without any problems or troubles.
The thing is, there are some really interesting contradictions to play with. When you look at each character, there are sympathetic sides to them. Particularly how the society of the time punished people for being women or LGBTQ+. But instead of making characters who make the best choices they can despite who they are, we have characters who are insufferable no matter how they are.
And so rather than being shown the stories of characters who did the best they could within the unfair constraints of society, we have characters who feel like they would be cruel, insufferable, and self-centred no matter what their situation.
The social commentary surrounding the types of families like the Campbells is ripe for exploration. And I believe Anstruther does attempt this. But I feel that, perhaps, she was too close to the story. She wasn't willing to make small changes that might have made us care about the characters in some way.
I can understand the desire to honour the truth she has uncovered. This is her actual family history, after all. But without any characters we can sympathise with or relate to, I was left not caring how bad these characters' lives were because none of them deserved anything any better. It's okay to fail at being a better person as long as you are tried. But no one in the Campbell family cares. All they want is to win and have all their problems magically go away, no matter who they hurt.
Ultimately, A Perfect Explanation is an easy book to read. Anstruther is a good writer and is clearly passionate about the story. But the problem is her characters do not elicit any sympathy. They are simply unlikeable, and no matter the reasons behind their suffering, their problems feel like their own creations. While it's fascinating to look at this snapshot of the way of life these people were trapped within, I didn't ever feel anyone of them wanted things to change. They simply wanted to be the one on top.
