Freya is the story of the life of one woman, her friends and lovers, her ambitions, her difficult decisions and the inevitable curve balls that life throws at her. Like many before him, Anthony Quinm is another male author to create an intense female heroine; Freya is strong-minded, fierce and passionate, and Quinn develops this character with such an understanding of the female psyche that is reminiscent of Flaubert and Madame Bovary. In fact there is even a reference to 'Emma Bovary' at one point in this novel!
We first meet Freya just at the end of World War II, on VE day. One of the wonderful aspects of this novel, which I particularly enjoyed when I read it, is the backdrop of the city of London, which features heavily throughout the book. Right from the first page Quinn draws us into the life of the city, not only into it's atmosphere and physical layout, but also into it's people. Several characters are introduced into the story who are very characteristically unique to the 'real' London, with their fowl language, cigarettes, promiscuous attitudes... Quinn often connects these characters with those of the upper class, starkly contrasting these two worlds, of which Freya frequently finds herself in the middle of.
I find the role of war to be quite an important one to Freya and in this story. As the book begins just as Britain is emerging from war, we really get an insight into the difficulties of getting back into 'normal' life, especially for young people. Freya, who has been working for the Wrens during the war, now takes up her place at Oxford. However it is clear that after working for the war effort, the superficiality of lectures and college gossip is a delicate and difficult issue for Freya. There are other elements of post-war life such as rationing, the blackout and physical war damage in the cities that continue to linger in the lives of people for a long time, not to mention the Nuremberg Trials, which are especially important for Freya as they will let her embark on her path of becoming a journalist.
Homosexuality is another crucial theme in this book. The context of the story, 1950s and 1960s England, reflects the political views of that time - that homosexuality was still completely misunderstood, looked down on, and even a punishable offence. Quinn has captured this struggle and desperation so well, with passages that are almost uncomfortable to read. Yet it is important that they are written about and read, as they show us how far we have progressed, but how much this issue still remains today - in fact it is still very current.
I feel that I must also mention feminism and it's role in this story. Freya is an ambitious journalist, and the obstacles that she constantly faces throughout her career by the fact that she is a woman are perhaps another reflection of the context of the story. From the very beginning of her career she realises that she is not being paid as well as a man is who is working to a much lower standard. Her stories are pinched from her and given to male journalists to write, she is not granted promotions she deserves and is constantly mistreated by her (male) superiors, Also in her personal life, social pressures and pressure from her mother to get married and have children are intense. At one point in the novel, Freya's boyfriend wants to give her a huge 30th birthday party for the reason that she has not yet celebrated any other 'milestones', such as a wedding or a birth. And yet Freya always remains strong and never falters in her quest for independence.
I hugely enjoyed Quinn's writing. I find his style very engaging, and I think that he has a real knack for capturing the essence of characters which makes the book hard to put down. The story is Romantic, in it's heroine as well as it's ideas, it is current, funny and always interesting. He has four other successful novels, and I definitely look forward to seeking them out in the future.
Labels: Culture
