O m n i v o r o u s r e a d e r believable and sympathetic. Any explication of the Fitzgeralds’ lives is bound to be an exercise in namedropping, and as with Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, most of the requisite luminaries are present in Z, if only in passing — Pound, Anderson, Elliot, Perkins, the Bankheads, Porter, Wolfe, Parker, Ford, Picasso, Stein, the Murphys, Joyce. Even North Carolina’s James Boyd rates a mention as “critic and novelist” (novelist certainly; critic not so much). Readers will no doubt enjoy the glib banter of the famous and witty, even if the characters never uttered a word of the dialogue attributed to them. For the thoroughly schooled Fitzgerald enthusiast, knowing too much about the subject raises so many questions regarding the authenticity of the novel that the flow of the narrative is interrupted in every paragraph and snatch of dialogue. Fowler addresses this problem in her “Author’s Note and Acknowledgements,” which, oddly enough, appears at the end of the novel: “This book is a work of fiction, but because it’s based on the lives of real people, I have tried to adhere as much as possible to the established particulars of those people’s lives. . . . Fiction based on real people differs from nonfiction in that the emphasis is not on factual minutiae, but rather on the emotional journey of the characters” — an explanation that does little to assuage the reader’s misgivings. Beyond the obligatory feminist agenda, the central focus of Z is a speculative exploration of the relationships between Scott, Zelda and their fellow expatriate Ernest Hemingway, who is the story’s obvious antagonist. Did Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway have a homosexual relationship? Did Hemingway attempt to seduce Zelda? “Thinking my anger would only amuse I decided to turn the tables on him [Hemingway] instead. I reached between us . . . taking my time, letting him think he might yet take advantage of both Fitzgeralds tonight. . . .” Of course, everyone loves gossip — except the subjects of the gossip — and all of the principals in Z are long gone. Only the novelist can say for sure what they said. And if Fowler’s reinvention of Zelda and the peripatetic Lost Generation is no slave to fact, well, in the final analysis, it’s an amusing read that dwindles to a beautifully poetic conclusion. What more can a reader ask? As for the lives of the real Fitzgeralds, we’re way beyond putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. When one of our heroes doesn’t supply the answers we expect, we simply rewrite his or her story. Who knows? Maybe it’ll have a happy ending. b Stephen E. Smith’s most recent book of poems is A Short Report on the Fire at Woolworths. He can be reached at travisses@hotmail.com. The Art & Soul of Wilmington
So Many Reasons to love Salem Academy
7:1 student to faculty ratio 241 years of educating girls for success AP STEM exam scores that surpass national and statewide trends 100% college acceptance
There are so many reasons to consider the Southeast’s premier boarding and day school for girls, grades 9-12, and why Salem Academy offers a clear advantage in preparing girls for success.
Discover your own reasons! Fall Visit dates: Oct. 24-25; Nov. 14-15
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
salemacademy.com 1-877-407-2536
October 2013 •
Salt
19