Five Weeks in the Country
In 1857, Hans Christian Andersen shows up at Charles Dickens’s country home in Kent, having received an impulsive, soon to be regretful, invitation from Dickens. He overstays for five weeks. The family greets a very awkward, self-conscious, and gangly man who promptly sinks to the floor, snoring and sleeping soundly. Dickens prods him. “Watching him open his eyes and try to stand was like watching a giant wounded cricket trying to right itself.” A narration in three parts gives the reader a dimensional view of this visit and the family dynamics – first by Dickens’s nine children as one voice, then Dickens, and finally Andersen.
Seeing Andersen through the children’s eyes is amusing and droll. Their lives are disrupted by this strange man who from the start is annoying and becomes intolerable. They see their father’s annoyance and want this intrusive guest sent away, so they enjoy tormenting Andersen and provoking his fearful nature. This nightmare guest earns the disrespect of the servants by his constant demands and his many hypochondriac complaints. When Dickens takes over the narrative, we learn how he met Andersen, their friendship, and what led to this invitation. His unhappy marriage to Catherine, his insecurities, his financial burdens, his affair, and the constant pressure to keep writing paints us a realistic picture of this complicated, tortured man. When Andersen speaks, we learn about his life and view the family through his eyes. He idolizes Dickens, wants to be accepted, and tries to please, yet is oblivious to the chaos he creates.
Prose accurately portrays this real-life visit, adding depth to Dickens’s and Andersen’s personalities. We understand and sympathize with Dickens despite his shortcomings. Prose provides insight into Andersen’s unique childish and fairy-tale-like mind, and his inability to fit in. The narrative moves slowly at times, so read it for the character study and the humor which delights and elevates this novel.
