Dan's Book Review: Peace of the Hamptons

By Karma Hope

From the solitary life of an elderly man to high profile celebrity divorce, Barbara Goldowsky takes us on a journey through the ironies and often-absurd phases of life. Engaging the reader through her use of traditional fairy tales, mythology and classic opera, Goldowsky places a contemporary spin on old favorites. Little Red does meet up with the wolf and sleeping beauty does sleep (eventually), but the reader is met with much more than a simple children's story.

As a longstanding inhabitant of the Hamptons and published poet, Goldowsky uses her poetic prowess to scrutinize the inanities life often presents. Her publications include the East Hampton Star and The Vocabula Review, and winner of the East Hampton Library Poetry contest. She writes poetry and short stories, having one of her poems put to music by Jeffrey Ryan and broadcast on Canadian Public Radio. Goldowsky brings her versatility to the table in Peace of the Hamptons, a collection of tongue-in-cheek short stories offered as a look inside human nature.

"One day, during one of the last years of the twentieth century, peace broke out in the Hamptons," begins the story for which the book was named. Four friends are found enjoying the sunset on a terrace overlooking the bay, discussing the state of the Hamptons. Idyllic families, perfect neighbors, genetically engineered grass and real estate coming to a standstill, all become by-products of complete honesty and forgiveness. With her characteristic irreverence, Goldowsky delves into the components that make us human.

Louise, bored and irritable, wants to go to Newport for the summer. She thinks her sullen husband is finally acquiescing, only to find he is actually having an affair with Tiffany, a cosmetics heiress. Louise finds this situation very alarming, for about three seconds, then lets the reader in on her secret - Brad. Louise turns up again (in the very next story), divorced, no longer seeing Brad and having a tryst of sorts with boy candy, Hank, a backhoe driving, longhaired, muscle bound hunk, wearing a Harley Davidson belt buckle. But, much to our shock, Hank has actually attended some college and majored in art history. Louise, for all her "city folk" affectations, is actually just a simple girl that likes living in the "country." Unfortunately, Goldowsky's attempt at unearthing the injustice of pre-conceived notions, more closely resembles a harlequin romance novel.

Luckily, Peace of the Hamptons contains other stories. "The Perfect Couple" is a smartly written commentary on our society's obsession with celebrity that both entertains and enlightens. "Cold Hands, Cold Heart" gives the reader a tragic glimpse at modern day heroines, Mimi and Princess Turnadot, while gently poking fun at the intensity exhibited in many theatre circles. "Somewhere on Another Star" is a full circle story conveying the loss of loved ones, professional aspirations and relationships, ending with a forgiveness of sorts that leaves the reader wanting the next chapter in the saga.

"Finally There is Enough" brings this work to its conclusion. A story chronicling the progression of a relationship brings the reader an enhanced awareness regarding the ills of over indulgence. The story begins with a woman displaying her love through culinary skills. The story moves through extravagant excesses (food and sex) until the characters find emptiness where they were once full. The characters then move toward minimalism, "We ate more simply but strange to say, we enjoyed it more." Goldowsky delves into what is wrong with overabundance and extremes, warning quietly. As the narrator lies at death's feet, her words echo with admonition, "Finally, there is enough."

Many of Goldowsky's stories whisper with the promise of significance yet fail to actualize. The author falls victim to using irony for irony's sake, "I do want to die, I don't want to die, oops, I die anyway." The message, we cannot control when we leave this life, is lost in the muddle she calls the ending. Goldowsky creates interesting beginnings, pallid middles and frequently dismal finishes. In her attempt to avoid the pitfall of explaining too much and treating the reader as a simpleton, the author instead fails to give her wonderful beginnings their appropriate endings.

Goldowsky is very gifted in her descriptive abilities. The magnificent sunsets, ocean views and attention to detail create a wonderful sense of the beauty in the Hamptons. The poet is vastly visible in Goldowsky's superb use of language and capacity to form vivid images with words. She attacks subjects of great relevance and mixes them with the incongruous in a charming and entertaining manner. Peace of the Hamptons is a social commentary, filled with attention grabbing notions. Goldowsky uses her ability to find the hilarity in the mundane and depth in the simple to create a collection of stories that is both thought provoking and entertaining.

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