Reconstruction

by Claudia Casper

Margaret, a sculptor, has been hired by a museum to build a life-sized model of "Lucy, " mankind's ancestral link to the primate world. Such an opportunity couldn't have come at a more fortuitous time. Margaret's life is in disarray: Her strained, loveless marriage has just ended, her finances are in a mess, and, to top it all, the dentist announces that she needs complicated and expensive dental work. Her sense that she is withering away spiritually and emotionally, and now the horrifying feeling that her physical self is also decaying, plunge her deeper and deeper into sleep and despair. The meticulous work of reconstructing Lucy - a process resembling a dissection in reverse - draws Margaret away from herself and then back again. Bone by bone, muscle by muscle, Margaret must cross boundaries of time and space to create an exact replica of Australopithecus afarensis. She is guided in her work by several sets of footprints found fossilized in volcanic ash. Those belonging to a male hominid walk straight ahead, but the prints of the female - Lucy - turn off the path for an instant, telegraphing across three million years a moment of hesitation. What, asks Margaret, was Lucy thinking and feeling? Fear? Curiosity? Longing? As Margaret casts herself back in time to ask the question "Who are you?" she finds herself identifying more and more with her human ancestor. And in doing so, Margaret is forced to explore fundamental questions about evolution, the human condition, and her own troubled and perplexing life.

Genres: Fiction, Canada

259 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

I like to list what I'm reading, but rating other writers seems disingenuous and awkward. I do it for close friends though, because.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the premise of a woman reconstructing herself after a loss while she's doing a reconstruction from ancient bones--it's all very powerful and alchemical. Plus I've been a huge fan of the Australopithecines since college. Yet somehow the protagonist's internal journey was just *too* internal for me--like when someone tells you about a dream they've had, and you pretend you're listening, but ultimately it's too subjective to be of interest to you. I felt like I was prying where I didn't belong, a lot like her friends in the book whom she shuts out during this process. Still there were some good moments. I quite enjoyed her primate calls.

[Sam Znaimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is beautifully written and the central metaphor adapts easily to the task of expressing the protagonist’s personal re-birth after her divorce left her emotionally naked. But I found myself growing impatient with her intricate introspection and the meticulously detailed descriptions of her work. I felt like shouting at her. “You’re going through a garden variety divorce. Grow up and get over it.” At the end of the novel, when she starts a love affair, I felt relieved. Now that she was getting laid we can all move forward and talk about something else.

[Fredsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claudia Casper has channeled me. How could I ever write a book more personal than this? Now I don't have to! I admire this author and I want to read more. Thank you, Ms. Casper.

[Ocean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up because the cover looked gorgeous and the resume interesting: a woman who, trying to get her life sorted after the end of her marriage, buries herself in work. Building a sculpture as she is rebuilding her life alone..
But how boring! It is wonderfully written, the author's choice of words is impeccable but it is way too introspective for my liking. There are chapters -short ones but still- about dreams the main character has had and pages upon pages of details about her job (she's doing a reconstruction of Lucy and prior to that, taxidermy work). I don't even know how I got to the end of this book, my mind kept drifting away.

It's going on the "to give away" pile.

[Léa Taranto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow at first yet meticulously crafted, this book explores a sculptor Margaret’s obsession with her latest project, a reconstruction of a female australopithecine afarensis right after s painful divorce. The ancient ancestress, who Margaret nicknames Lucy, begins to merge with Margaret’s consciousness in deeper degrees. This surrealist aspect was what kept me engaged in the story. I wish it had been more than just a dip/dabble and more of an immersion.

[Della Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a magical interweaving of physical and spiritual evolution, a reconstruction of self after decay. It is looking far back into history to understand how to create something whole again.

[Dayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chiller, pretty writing

[Vera · Rating 4 out of 5]

A breadth and depth of empathy one rarely encounters; acute observation of place and person; deft handling of chronology; gentle, understated humour; mastery of language.... What more could a reader ask for? Oh, yes, an engaging protagonist in an engrossing story. It's got those, as well. In fact, it's the best novel I've read all year, and I will look for more of Ms Casper's work.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky main character works as a sculptor on a reconstruction of Lucy, an Autraliopithecus specimen, for display in a museum. Through the reconstruction, she explores her past and addresses her mid-life issues. I enjoyed the discussions of memory, language and evolution.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing in this novel is simply exquisite. Some of the paragraphs I have copied down just to reread for pleasure. The part about dust I'll translate in French for my mother, who has always had a respect/hate/bewilderment relationship with dust. I think she'll thoroughly enjoy it.

[The Chicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jennifer's pick