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A review by brooke_review
The Most by Jessica Anthony
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Jessica Anthony’s The Most is a short story that gives off college literature class reading vibes. This time capsule of a novella opens up the world of November 1957, as well as a seemingly picturesque marriage, to the reader. However, as can be expected with any good story, nothing is quite as it seems.
Kathleen and Virgil are (almost) living the American Dream. He works in insurance, while she, a former collegiate tennis star, raises their two sons in New England. Virgil, who recently accepted a lesser-paying job in Delaware, has moved the family into an apartment complex filled with elderly residents who do not use the complex’s focal drawing point - a swimming pool.
Month after month, the pool sits unoccupied until an unseasonably warm fall day when Kathleen decides to go for a swim … and doesn’t get out. She sits in the pool from sun up to sun down, driving Virgil crazy as he tries to figure out what’s gone wrong with his wife this time. As Virgil leaves her to her aquatic mission, he takes off with his coworkers to play a round of golf, because how often do you get a 70 degree fall day in Delaware?
Meanwhile, both he and Kathleen ponder the state of their marriage, and some unseemly secrets start to come to the light.
The Most is a literary slice of life novella that shatters the illusion of the perfect 1950’s family. So often portrayed with gleaming smiles plastered across their faces, the quintessential nuclear family is brought into question in this short story. How quickly can stereotypes turn to myth with just a little insight into a person’s life? The Most is here to challenge the flawless facades we project outward, and encourage us to look in to people at the heart.
Kathleen and Virgil are (almost) living the American Dream. He works in insurance, while she, a former collegiate tennis star, raises their two sons in New England. Virgil, who recently accepted a lesser-paying job in Delaware, has moved the family into an apartment complex filled with elderly residents who do not use the complex’s focal drawing point - a swimming pool.
Month after month, the pool sits unoccupied until an unseasonably warm fall day when Kathleen decides to go for a swim … and doesn’t get out. She sits in the pool from sun up to sun down, driving Virgil crazy as he tries to figure out what’s gone wrong with his wife this time. As Virgil leaves her to her aquatic mission, he takes off with his coworkers to play a round of golf, because how often do you get a 70 degree fall day in Delaware?
Meanwhile, both he and Kathleen ponder the state of their marriage, and some unseemly secrets start to come to the light.
The Most is a literary slice of life novella that shatters the illusion of the perfect 1950’s family. So often portrayed with gleaming smiles plastered across their faces, the quintessential nuclear family is brought into question in this short story. How quickly can stereotypes turn to myth with just a little insight into a person’s life? The Most is here to challenge the flawless facades we project outward, and encourage us to look in to people at the heart.