Beyond Catharsis
Novel rises above its real-life inspiration
Last year, Elisabeth Robinson's first novel, The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters, was a critically acclaimed best seller. Recently issued in paperback (Back Bay, 352 pp., $13.95), it's the story of filmmaker Olivia Hunt as she tries to come to terms with her sister's fatal disease. The praise was well deserved, as Robinson manages to transform a personal tale of loss into a highly readable, even amusing novel.
The plot is obviously autobiographical. Robinson, whose sister died in 1998 of leukemia, is a former Hollywood producer who worked on movies such as Braveheart and The Man Who Knew Too Much. Cathartic writing is not always the best writing, but Robinson manages to avoid excessive pathos while never minimizing the drawn-out horrors for a family watching a young woman, although determined and optimistic, battle a disease that will ultimately win.
The story emerges from a series of letters that Olivia writes to her parents, sister, best friend, ex-lover, and various Hollywood types. In Robinson's hands, the epistolary form offers an unusual intimacy with the characters, a sense of knowing something that was not meant for public view. We see Olivia in her different roles: a savvy Hollywood producer; a woman who wants her ex-lover back; a loyal sister and best friend who doesn't always act as loyally as she would like. It is easy to become attached to Olivia and her family, hoping for a Hollywood ending, one that obviously isn't going to come.
Still, this is not a depressing story. The efforts that Olivia must go through to get her movie produced are hilarious (and take away any of the mystique of filmmaking). The humor is evident in the hospital scenes as well. At one point, Olivia writes to the director of the hospital about her sister's doctors: "What is with you people? I've never encountered such a bunch of self-impressed, ignorant idiots under one roof—and I've worked in Hollywood. But your hospital, wow, it just takes my breath away. These 'doctors' are so unpleasant they must be castoffs from Staples or the Department of Motor Vehicles. They must have been raised by wolves."
In 2000, as a testament to her sister's spirit, Elisabeth Robinson decided to take a risk on her own deferred dream, writing a novel. She had enough money to live on for a year and was down to her last $300 when she received the advance check from Little, Brown. The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters serves as a tribute to her sister, not only in its very existence, but in its loving portrayal of family faith and love.
—Faye Jones
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