You were there the whole time.
From the moment you were born, until you were an adult, you were around for every minute of your childhood. It’s not like you could escape it, or erase it, or undo it, it’s not like you made it all up. You were there. But, as in the new novel, “Whistler” by Ann Patchett, what did you miss?
For sure, they were being followed.
Daphne Fuller thought it was creepy that a random old man was following her and her husband around in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Everywhere they turned, there he stood. as it turned out, for good reason: the elderly man was Daphne’s first stepfather, who recognized her. But she hadn’t seen him in decades. She hadn’t, in fact, thought about Eddie since she was a kid, and there he was, in an accidental, fortuitous meeting.
Daphne was eager to reconnect.
Back when her mother was married to him, Daphne loved Eddie to bits. She practiced using his last name as her own, telling herself that he was her dad, wishing that he really was her birth father. He was fun, loving, thoughtful, wise and kind, creative, a publishing-slash-editorial professional who made her love books. Eddie was everything you’d expect a person like that to be.
But one day, her mother threw him out and they were divorced – no explanation, no take-backs.
Daphne and her sister never heard from Eddie again, as if he didn’t exist.
She wondered what happened, but she couldn’t ask and then life interfered. Forty-some years passed, and she couldn’t get enough of him. He was the same Eddie, just older and wiser and, as always, he had things to tell her.
Before the divorce, there had been a car accident and Daphne’s sister had been sick. Daphne only remembered some of that, and it was nice to know the details. It was even nicer to reconnect with Eddie, and to be his daughter again.
She’d missed him all those years. She had missed him every day of her life.
Bring your tissues? Eh, not really. “Whistler” – titled after a haunting, misunderstood photograph – is more heartwarming than heartbreaking, but there absolutely will be a few cardio-twinges, never fear.
Mostly, this is a book about love, relationships, skewed childhood memories, and the things we thought we knew but we couldn’t possibly be more wrong about. It’s a gentle story, simple and tight with characters you’ll wish were real, though the story may feel slow now and again, especially if you’re used to faster-moving novels.
That’s not detrimental, certainly not so much that you’ll want to quit it. It’ll help to know that there’s a bit of timeline play that is confusing, if you’re not aware – but now you are.
If you carry old memories that don’t quite make sense, this novel will ring true and you’ll love it. If you need something gentle with the sweetest of drama for a summer read you’ll likewise devour this book. The hype is true. Find “Whistler,” settle in your best, most comfortable chair, and there you are.
“Whistler: A Novel” by Ann Patchett c.2026, Harper, $30. 304 pages
This story is brought to you by Rosedale Health and Wellness and Dudley’s Place.
