The web of belonging

by stevie-davies

Book by Davies, Stevie

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have rapidly become a great admirer of Stevie Davies; she is a great and under-rated novelist. In many ways this is a comic novel, but it is much more than that because in reality it deals with tragic matters. It concerns Jess and Jacob, both in their forties, who have been married for twenty years and are childless. They have taken in three of Jacob’s relatives; his mother May, his aunt Brenda and his uncle Nathan (not married to Brenda). To manage their needs Brenda has given up her work as a librarian (that’s another thing I like about Davies, the heroine is a librarian!). Jess is a pillar of the church and community (its set in Shrewsbury on the river Severn). Jess and Jacob has previously fostered and on the surface seem a devoted couple and very happy. At least that is what Jess thinks. Fate has other ideas and Jacob disappears on page five, only to reappear in nearby Ludlow with a younger woman and ready-made family; and she is pregnant. Jess is left caring for Jacob’s relatives and Jacob seems to think she will continue to be the “saint” she has always been.
It is in the first person, so Jess tells her own story and you can see her own internal thoughts and reasoning throughout. It is painfully honest and charts how Jess’s conflicting emotions progress. The characterisation is brilliant; the three older people Jess cares for all are very distinctive as are the friends who support Jess; each with their own agendas. Jess has to question the whole basis of the life she has led and the man on whom she felt she was totally reliant and to ponder some of life’s mysteries. As Davies puts it;
"Higgamus hoggamus,
woman's monogamous,
hoggamus higgamus,
man is polygamous"
The reader becomes very attached to Jess as she goes through the agonies of separation and cheers her on as she begins to break free from her old self. She goes through the mood swings and moves from despair to anger to hope and back in a short space of time. She also does some wonderfully odd things as she begins to break free.
The implications of the title are also cleverly used. Belonging sounds cosy and safe and part of a bigger whole. However a web is also a place where you can be caught and stuck, as in a spider’s web. What to do about Jacob’s relatives becomes a theme and we listen in on Jess’s internal dialogue. Why should she continue to care for them? But she likes them and they aren’t responsible for Jacob’s actions and where would they go?
The whole is a beautifully written exploration of the end of a relationship and its outworking; it is also very funny and that is how Davies slips in some of her most difficult conundrums (should Jacob’s relatives be put into care homes as a result of his behaviour). It’s good stuff and the web is complex.

[Andrew H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re-issue off the 1997 Women's Press novel and the 2004 TV tie in. The new edition by Parthian celebrates Stevie Davies as a leading Welch novelist.

This is a novel about sacrifice, devotion, guilt, trust/mistrust. At the centre of the novel is Jess who slowly finds her world losing its centre when her husband, Jacob, deserts her for another younger woman. She fights to breathe against the terrifying May, her mother, who will do anything to smother Jess with guilt. May is a creature of comic-horror. The novel is finely constructed, meshes together a group of people at life's crossroads, and is told with Davies's eye for emotional details.

[Jan Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a book of our times - the problems of caring for the elderly, marriage break up - how do you cope, what is the right thing to do? It is quite funny and touching. It is set in our locality which adds interest.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ordered Web of Belonging, after watching the ITV movie based on the book titled, Belonging. A slice of life and the story of the end of a marriage, the feelings here are deep and authentic. What happens to a family when the one marriage that is holding it all together destructs? Jess is the glue of the family, the mother, the caretaker of her husband Jacob and the “oldies”, a group of Jacob’s elderly relatives who all live with her and Jacob and need varying amounts of care. One day Jacob simply doesn’t come home. A little heavy-handed with religion for me, but otherwise a very good picture of aging and the impact of care taking on a person and a marriage.

[Andrew H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating novel about sacrifice, devotion, guilt, trust/mistrust. At the centre of the novel is Jess who slowly finds her world losing its centre when her husband, Jacob, deserts her for another woman. She fights to breathe against the terrifying May, her mother, who will do anything to smother Jess with guilt. The novel is finely constructed and the language is alive with authenticity-- no wonder that it was adapted into a radio play and a tv play. The writing has a visual quality that brings people and places into the reader's imagination. A tremendous piece of writing!

[Sian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find it difficult to believe that this is by the same author as the beautiful and incredibly powerful ‘Earthly Creatures’.
The genre and written style are so different. I could not engage with this at all, having no interest in any of the characters so I gave up. I found it twee; calling all the old people ‘darling’ was annoying and the constant references to religion were off-putting.

[Adam Hassan]

Thank you very

[Rob & Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had seen the movie made from this novel and it really peaked my interest. The novel was great and it really illustrated how womrn can lose themselves in caring for others until something brings them 'up short'.
Liz