In a Nutshell: A worthy ‘quick read’ that’s especially suited to those who enjoy the monologic form. The resonance and theme of some of the monologues in this collection make them slightly more suited to the female reader, but don’t let that put off any male readers – this is ideal fodder for anyone wishing to sample Enquist’s exquisite literary skills.
It only seems like yesterday that I was introducing my ‘forethoughts’ on a Leap from Anna Enquist, but with reading conditions being so favourable over the past few days, and the title itself being so short in length, I managed to get through it quickly. Short this collection may well be, but the question is whether it could be considered sweet as well? Let’s find out.
I spoke at some length about a Leap in my forethoughts, so rather than repeat myself I’ll invite you to visit that post in order to find out more about this work, if you need to, but briefly a Leap is a newly published translated collection of monologues from bestselling Dutch author Anna Enquist. The collection amounts to five in total, and all share the common theme of seeking anchorage or self-realisation.
Perhaps most intriguing of all is the monologue which opens the collection – Alma, which also happens to be the longest. In this monologue Alma Mahler reminisces on her life with the famous composer Gustav Mahler, and what gives this monologue its intrigue is the fact that Enquist made full use of the historical diaries and letters of Alma Mahler to aid in her construction of the work. It’s a powerful piece of literary composition and despite dragging along in the latter stages, the work makes for rather compelling reading. As compelling as Alma is though, its impact was probably most potent in its initial guise as a specially commissioned stage performance, a performance which preceded a rendition of Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony in Rotterdam in 2002.
Jumping forward to the closing monologue in a Leap – …and I am Sara, and for me this was the weakest one in the collection. However I didn’t dislike it because I felt it was badly written. It was certainly up to the calibre of Enquist’s other inclusions, but the resonance of its narrative was one that I felt made it more suited to the female reader, so I didn’t feel as though I engaged with it to the fullest. As the second longest monologue in the collection I also felt, as I did with Alma, that the piece rambled on a bit too much towards the end.
Sandwiched in-between the two longer monologues in this collection are the three shorter ones, and these in their succinct form are for me the greatest triumph of the collection as a whole. The best is undoubtedly Mendel Bronstein; a monologue which explores the failed migration of a Jewish dressmaker. Quite simply the narrative on this one is sublime, with Enquist displaying her literary skills at their eloquent finest. I know a piece of literary writing is good when it has the power to mark my soul, and Mendel Bronstein very much had that effect. It not only explores a profound level of personal anguish in its primary character (sorry no spoilers 
)), it also demonstrates just how poetic Enquist’s prose can be.
The two other monologues (Cato and Lenndert and The Doctor), although not as quite as powerful as Mendel Brontstein, are still more than worthy of the reader’s attention. Both have primary characters wrestling with personal dilemmas, and both also display Enquist’s talent in all areas of her professional expertise (with the exception of her musical talents).
If I had one complaint of a Leap then it would be that the works in this collection seem only to have a tenuous link to one another with no feeling of flow between each monologue (for a themed collection I would have expected more of an attachment). I would also add, as I mentioned earlier, that the resonance and subject matter of some of these monologues, namely Alma and …and I am Sara, make them more suited to the female reader – so males beware! (although as a guy I’ve go to admit that I didn’t find these two to be too unreadable).
In concluding then I would recommend a Leap to be a worthy ‘pick up’ for almost any reader, and especially those who enjoy the monologic form. It’s short in length so unlikely to tie one down for too long, but it does give a good flavour of the acclaimed writing ability of ‘Jack-of-all-trades’ Enquist, and some may consider this to be a good ‘primer’ for her full-length novels. Is a Leap sweet? I should say so!
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Book Details
Publisher: Toby Press
Published: April 2009 (US)
Format: Paperback
Pages: circa 100 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59264-258-8
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