Title: Vinegar Hill
Author: A Manette Ansay
In 1972, Ellen Grier returns to her hometown of Holly Fields, Wisconsin with her husband and two children. Her husband, who has lost his job, moves the family into his parents' home. Over the course of the next year, Ellen and her children slowly suffocate-- the father-in-law is heartlessly cruel, the mother-in-law weak, judgmental and sharp-tongued, and the husband reverts to his role as the child who upholds his father and doesn't rock the boat in this abusive and highly dysfunctional household.
Many readers on Amazon criticized Ellen as a weak character. But I didn't see it that way-- it took her a year to do something about her situation because, as a Roman Catholic in 1972, she took her marriage vows very seriously, even though the love had lapsed years earlier. Taking responsibility to remove her children from the situation before it was too late took a lot of courage, especially when everyone around her was telling her to stay, despite the costs.
I've lived in the Midwest for a long time. I've never really seen it like those Edward Hopper paintings were things are blank and desolate, but the characters in Vinegar Hill reminded me of one of his stark works where everyone harbors secrets and no one will look each other in the eyes.
--originally published 7/15/06
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