Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

by Katharine Weber

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1995

Harriet Rose, twenty-six, is an American photographer just winning recognition for her work. A travel fellowship brings her to visit her best friend and former roommate, Anne Gordon, in Switzerland. In an ongoing letter to her boyfriend, Harriet reports on strange developments in Anne's life, most notably her affair with a much older married man, which seems to be leading to a disastrous conclusion. Before she can rescue Anne, events take a series of unexpected turns, and Harriet must reexamine her own life and past, and come to terms with the difficulties and possibilities of human relationships.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Womens, Adult Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Katharine Weber's six novels and memoir, all highly-praised, some, award-winning, have made her a book club favorite.

Her eighth book, JANE OF HEARTS AND OTHER STORIES (Paul Dry Books, March 2022), is a collection of somewhat linked stories and a novella.

Her seventh book, the novel STILL LIFE WITH MONKEY (Paul Dry Books), had rave reviews and praise:

"Stark and compelling . . . Rigorously unsentimental yet suffused with emotion: possibly the best work yet from an always stimulating writer."―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Katharine Weber's Still Life With Monkey is a beautifully wrought paean of praise for the ordinary pleasures taken for granted by the able-bodied. In precise and often luminous prose, with intelligence and tenderness, Weber's latest novel examines the question of what makes a life worth living."―Washington Post

"[A] deeply but delicately penetrating novel."―New York Times Book Review

"Weber's unsentimental and poignant examination of what does and does not make life worth living is a heartbreaking triumph."―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A brilliantly crafted novel, brimming with heart."―Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage

Katharine's previous novel, True Confections, the story of a chocolate candy factory in crisis, was published in 2010. Critics raved: "A great American tale" (New York Times Book Review), "Marvelous, a vividly imagined story about love, obsession and betrayal" (Boston Globe), "Katharine Weber is one of the wittiest, most stimulating novelists at work today...wonderful fun and endlessly provocative" (Chicago Tribune),"Succulently inventive" (Washington Post),"Her most delectable novel yet" (L.A. Times).

Her sixth book, a memoir called The Memory of All That: George Gershwin, Kay Swift, and My Family's Legacy of Infidelities, published in 2011, won raves from the critics, from Ben Brantley in the New York Times ("Ms. Weber is able to arrange words musically, so that they capture the elusive, unfinished melodies that haunt our memories of childhood") to the Dallas Morning News ("gracefully written, poignant and droll"), the NY Daily News ("Old Scandals, what fun...the core of her tale is that of elegant sin and betrayal"), and the Boston Globe (a masterful memoir of the private world of a very public family"), among others.

Katharine was the Richard L. Thomas Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Kenyon College for seven years. She has taught creative writing at Yale University (for eight years), and was an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the graduate writing program in the School of the Arts at Columbia University for six years. She has taught at various international writing workshops, from the Paris Writers Workshop several summers in a row to the San Miguel de Allende Writers Conference and the West Cork Literary Festival in Ireland.

All of Katharine's books have been republished in paperback, some of them in more than one edition, and all are available as e-books. Take note, book groups! In these pandemic times, Zoom visits to book groups can be arranged.

Reviews

[Sterlingcindysu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot is going on in this short book. Weber packs tightly. Good character development--I love Harriet's stream of consciousness in writing a journal with jokes, asides, colorful bits. (And what happens to the rest of the joke, "a frog walks into a bank"?) I'm not sure what emphasis to put on Gay, Harriet's grandmother. Is she just the purveyor of correct habits, or there to show that life goes on through husbands and disappointments? Benedict is too good to be true, but there needs to be some juxapositioning between all the other no-good deadbeats (which is almost ALL the other men). Miss Trout sure did "swim" upstream for years to get to her happy hunting grounds.

So poor Harriet has had quite a life. There was her indecision at her brother Adam's bedside, and lack of control when adults come in and out of her life (both physically and mentally). When she has a "situation" with a neighbor's baby, she Takes Action and does well. Again with her roommate Anne, she wants to Take Action but knows this time she may be butting into matters beyond her. She, herself is happy now, so does she really want to take on others' suffering? Would this be rubbing it into Anne's face? And does Anne see a father figure in Victor, a father who is happier and taking life by the horns instead of just giving up?

I'm not real sure what the title means. There's all the photographic references, but I'm guessing there's more than that. Harriet was in Geneva for (I thought) a seminar or showing, but no reference is made to that, so I kept expecting something more to be made of her work. I also had some confusion over what decade this was taking place in--too many references to Cary Grant and musicals, yet then faxing and computers were mentioned.

I wasn't expecting that ending for Anne at all.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to the handful of reviews I could find, this is one of those “love-it-or-hate-it” books. Just about every review I scanned was 2 stars or less—as in rock bottom 1-star ratings—but I actually loved it.

“And afraid of a disaster, Miss Clavel ran fast and faster.”

This line and others grabbed my attention—almost felt a little like Nabokov (take that, haters!) with its random wordplay.

Giving props to my fellow book-lover and Gross High grad, Margie. I read HER review of this book back in Dec. 2020 and promptly added it to my TBR list. Nearly two and a half years later, I finally read this quirky, clever debut novel. Truly appreciated the author’s style—vibed with it, if you will. Pretty much couldn’t put it down. Worth a read. Who knows… you might find yourself on the “love-it” team with Margie and me.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a damn impressive debut novel. Wow. As always with Weber, I'm more compelled by the events that happen in current time, as opposed to in flashback, but that is a small complaint.

[Bj Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally liked this book but would have preferred that Part II be shortened and more emphesis on Anne/Harriet story.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was good, but the writing was what really shone. Weber has some delightful turns of phrase, and there were sentences I had to re-read several times because they were so good.

[skein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on a trip to Vermont, which is about as far (politically and geographically) as one can get from my home state without falling into the ocean, or Canada. It was a gloriously sunny day of the sort one can only get at higher latitudes -- the light seems closer, somehow; why would that be?

So I sat on a bench in the sun, gave myself a nice burn, and cried.

I also dog-eared every other page (this, in a library book. I am a terrible terrible person.)

Here's where I say that it's a debut novel and very very good, though a first novel from a very very good author is still a first novel; and here's where I apologize for my rating system, which makes sense to no one but myself and places Pride and Prejudice on par with Objects (the latter is better-written); and here's where I apologize, again, for my inability to do any justice to Weber's writing and -- is scope too pretentious a word for such an unpretentious novel? -- her scope.

This is why it's good, why Weber is good: she is not retreating. She says: horrible horrible things will happen and you will have to deal with them. You created the horror - unwillingly, unwittingly; but now it is here and it is your fault. You will live with this. You have no choice. And you will not forget, and you will do it again.

Le Guin called this "equilibrium", capital E, which is a beautiful and unwieldy word for such a deeply nasty, treacherous goblin.

This - that creation of horror, through our essential forgetful sloppiness - is wholly selfish. And even more so, says Weber (and I agree) is that we can forget about it; we can love; and we call that love more important than the evil we've done.

"Benedict: you are my You."
Oh, my god.

[astried · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh...... so it ended. It started great, it started really intimate. Reading Harriet's letter, following her going tangent on her story telling, this was the part I enjoyed most. Afterwards i kept on feeling like seeing a complete parts w/ slightly skewed arrangement or perfect arrangement w/ some missing parts. The ending totally lost me and the last star promised to it.

I can't like Harriet even from the start. I think she's a meddling goody two shoes. From the first page I was thinking if she's one of those unreliable narrator or ugly puppet used by author to prove an opposite point. I was truly missing her voice at the beginning of part 2 and was dissapointed of the change; I couldn't understand why the story hadn't continued just as it was. Then I realized that now is the time of the uncovering of truth, where we will finally get to know the reality of her life. In a way it was so, all the fact was brought out; Yet somehow I felt let down. Her denouement felt so bland. there were things that should horrify me but just fell short.

What's up w/ her Bf anyway? His name. Oh my... And how he was potrayed as the perfect man n making their relationship a solid ideal one.. Come on, seeing all the relationships went to the dust all over the book did Weber actually expect us to swallow this? or is this a piece of sarcasm dagger thrown to the audience?

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book for 2 pounds in England, and it's been on my bookshelves for years. I read it as part of my "READ THE BOOKS YOU ALREADY HAVE INSTEAD OF GETTING NEW ONES FROM THE LIBRARY" project. (I still get books out of the library, of course, but I am doing my best to read some of the ones filling up our study.)

I liked this book more than I thought I would--it was very well written. It's the story of an American woman, Harriet, who goes to Geneva on a photography fellowship and visits an old friend. When she arrives, she discovers that said friend (Anne) is having an illicit affair with a much older man. The book starts out in the form of a rambling letter Harriet is writing to her boyfriend back home, and then it changes format into third person halfway through the book. Personally, I was much better able to relate to Harriet than to Anne (whose motivation to be with a man who treated her shabbily I could not understand at all), but I found it interesting to read about the friendship between two such different women, and how they relate to the men in their lives.

[Andria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was more in the 2.5 to 3-star range until the last 50 pages. The reviews all hailed this novel's wit, and there were allusions to (and a complimentary jacket blurb from) Iris Murdoch, so I felt like maybe I was missing something by finding the writing, while stylistically solid, to be wasted on a pointless plot and half-formed characters. Written in three different parts and points of view (Part 1: first person, present; Part 2: third person close on 1 character, past; Part 3: third person divided between two characters, present), I thought the entire middle section was incongruous and superfluous, although it would have been an interesting story on its own. I might be convinced to try some of this author's later work, but I wouldn't recommend this one.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like this story, yet it was frustrating/depressing - hate situations like Harriet's (the narrator) friend Anne got herself into with the controlling, married older man. (yuck) Interesting to watch how Harriet just loses her self-focus in the drama and awkwardness of the situation of finding she maybe doesn't really know her friend.
there is more to the story than that of course...
Harriet has her own stuff to work out, including her relationship with her special guy. And the way she looks at herself and her life, through the lens of her camera and mirrors...

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most enjoyable read. Some of the reviews I had read felt that Weber was too descriptive, however, that is precisely what I enjoyed about her writing. I was kept entertained and interested for the length of time I was reading it. It seems to me that in life we must experience many things in order to have empathy with those we come in touch with. Weber gets into the very heart and soul of her characters and her fascination with mirrors gets my mind a whirling. Where is my camera?

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy this author-she is funny and clever and a good writer. The story begins with letters Harriet is writing to her boyfriend Benedict while she is staying with her friend Anne in Geneva. The letters are fun and full of sparkling insights, but Anne's affair with Victor is frustrating and ends up bringing the book down. The rest of the story can be a bit soap opera-y and didn't match the early expectations.

[Lilian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story in three parts about a photographer trying to save her best friend from an affair. The first part is a journal of letters to her boyfriend, the second is about her childhood, and the last is the current time in an omniscient voice but mostly following her friend's story. For me, in the end, it became a question of who was saving whom. You really never completely know what is going on with somebody else, even if that person was your best friend.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a disappointment. It begins so beautifully, but I lost interest by the end. Still, the American-in-Europe aspect was intriguing to me, and reminded me a bit of Diane Johnson's Le Divorce. Only not as good.

[linnea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of her work. I felt very detached from the characthers. If i connected, i think I would have liked it better.

[HP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a book that makes me laugh out loud and then makes me really depressed. Ah, just like life!

[Chrysauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well-written with the theme of friendship being explored in depth.

[Ellen Agger]

I liked Katherine's "True Confections" so much that I found this in my local library and bought her memoir too.

[circle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recommend triangle which is written by the same author. This book seems witty but it's still unreadable

[Sheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really enjoined opening. After a few chapters, I found it irritating. Will not finish.

[Kristy Alley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it took me a long time to read for some reason. I just wasn't compelled to pick it up every time I had the chance. I think I would have enjoyed it more in my twenties.

[JodiP · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just could not get into the story. I didn't care about the two women and their lives.

[JimZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some readers entered the name of this book incorrectly. I had to enter the author's name to find it.

[Hubert · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ambitious novel, but one that falls short in some places. The main character, Harriet, is paying a visit to Switzerland, partly because she is trying to protect her friend Anne, now living in Switzerland, who is having an affair with a work superior at an international oil firm; this much older man (Victor) is also a Holocaust survivor. The first part of the novel is written in epistolary form - letters that Harriet writes to her boyfriend Benedict, describing the living situation, but also referencing other characters and past lives. The second part is a summary of Harriet's childhood, which includes scenes of her witnessing child abuse of her neighbor's children at the hands of a nanny. We also learn about her mother's decline in mental health, and her dad having left the family when she was young. The final part is focused on the present day, the interactions between Anne, Victor, and the visiting Harriet. The story tumbles into a tragic denouement.

More time needs to be spent on the characters' development; it's a bit hard to identify how and why the readers are to empathize (or take a dislike to) the characters. Parts of the story didn't have a follow-up and needed one - for example, we needed to know why Harriet decides to scratch the neighbors' car and cut up the flowers in their flower garden. Also the love thread between Harriet and Benedict comes off as a tad superficial, perhaps too idealistic in its day-to-day ordinariness. There is a scene in which Anne gets psychiatric treatment from an elder famous psychiatrist in Freudian tradition, but that scene is also underdeveloped, and it's not so clear why Anne makes the decisions that she does.

I appreciate and applaud the author's ambition in writing the novel; I think she is attempting to make some key points with very limited textual resources; however I think because of this the motivations of the key characters suffer from lack of justification for those motives, and as a reader this comes off as a bit confusing.

I do look forward to some of the author's more recent work.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A New York Times Notable Book of the YearA Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1995Harriet Rose, twenty-six, is an American photographer just winning recognition for her work. A travel fellowship brings her to visit her best friend and former roommate, Anne Gordon, in Switzerland. In an ongoing letter to her boyfriend, Harriet reports on strange developments in Anne's life, most notably her affair with a much older married man, which seems to be leading to a disastrous conclusion. Before she can rescue Anne, events take a series of unexpected turns, and Harriet must reexamine her own life and past, and come to terms with the difficulties and possibilities of human relationships.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three stars are based solely on the fact that this book is well written. I just didn't like the story. It was kind of slow at first and then miserably slow in part II. I think the only sections I enjoyed reading, the only ones that I found emotional, were the ones near the end - written not from Harriet's point of view, but from Anne's. But then as soon as I started reading Anne's point of view I knew exactly what she would do and was mostly just waiting for it to happen.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of this book before, but when I had to look up this author for work, I found her website and wanted to read more. Good book--not a ton of "action" per se, but great well-developed characters!

[Sarah]

I didn't finish it, just didn't keep me involved and life's too short.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I read it for the nutty title, but it was a surprisingly good story.

[Andrea Lakly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but it walks over ground we've passed over many times before. Still, a good reminder that "it's not about you."