Be warned that this review contains serious spoilers.Madeleine LEngle is, of course, best known for her book "A Wrinkle in Time" and the four books following which chronicle the adventures of Meg and Charles, and Megs future husband Calvin. They are fantastical tales of travel at the speed of thought, alien worlds, monstrous evils to be fought, and the power of love in all its forms.
Madeleine LEngle has a deeper range than young adult science fiction. Even knowing this, however, it was a shock to read "A House Like a Lotus". It has the love of the Time Quartet books, but there is no tessering. There are no alien worlds to explore, and no monstrous evils. To see Meg and Calvin coping with a brood of seven children, and their eldest daughter, Polyhymnia (Polly), dealing with a straight story about love, betrayal and forgiveness makes it feel like youre reading from a different author. It is a compelling expansion upon Meg and Calvins characters, and Polly carries the story in the first person with considerable grace, as she first befriends, and then flees from, a dying woman named Maxa. Its brilliant, but it still takes some getting used to.
The story is written with, in my opinion, a much older audience in mind than "A Wrinkle in Time". The Time Quartet is ageless, but "A House Like a Lotus" deals frankly with sexual issues, including homosexuality and Pollys first sexual experience (heterosexual). I would not recommend this book to anybody under the age of fourteen, but to any other fan of LEngles work, this book is a must read.
As you can see from other reviews, Madeleine LEngle takes it between the eyes for her controversial subject matter. Some more liberal than her might say that she has demonized homosexuality through Maxas drunken advances on Polly. On the other hand, others more conservative than Madeleine will not appreciate the fact that sixteen-year-old Polly has sex outside of marriage once (and isnt the least bit unhappy about it) and is perfectly open to having it again with someone else. The scene where Polly loses her virginity is touchingly and tastefully handled. There is too much love going on in this scene for me to believe that a sin is being committed.
Personally, I did not think Madeleine demonized homosexuality through Maxas portrayal in this book. Maxa is portrayed as a brilliant but hurt individual, who is dying, suffering, and deeply afraid. Much is made early on in the story that Maxa and her live-in partner Ursula might be lesbians, but Meg and Calvin make it quite clear that they believe that what goes on between two consenting adults in private is their own business. They refuse to pass judgement, and I agree with that.
On the other hand, Maxas advances on Polly were made when Maxa was drunk, hurting more than ever, and more afraid than ever about her oncoming death. She does hurt Polly (this is the focus of the book), but she realizes almost right away that what she has done was very wrong, but only as it relates to itself. Homosexuality is not the defining factor in this shocking and key scene of the book. If Maxa had been a man, the scene would have had as much, if not more power.
"A House Like a Lotus" is a book about trust and love, and how, by just being the humans we are, we sometimes dont live up to other peoples trust. And how we must forgive ourselves and the others who betray us, for our human foibles. In this regard, "A House Like a Lotus" carries more power than the entire Time Quartet combined.
A sensitive, thought-provoking novel; absolutely brilliant!