Our December selection is Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark, the story of a lifelong friendship between two very different women, Agnes and Polly. United by a shared history and a connection to a pristine peninsula on the Maine coast, they find themselves at odds late in life over the fate of this precious strip of land.
Fellowship Point was named a Best Book of 2022 by Time, NPR, Chicago Public Library and Kirkus Reviews.
“Fellowship Point is a novel rich with social and psychological insights, both earnest and sly, big ideas grounded in individual emotions, a portrait of a tightly knit community made up of artfully drawn, individual souls." - The New York Times
“Some of the many miracles of this dense, bristling, multilayered work are its gut-level reality checks on modern sex, love, money, class, aging and power.” - Boston Globe
I finished too, but that’s because the audio book is what was available at the library. 20 hours! I listened during running, walking, chores, turkey dinner prep etc.
It’s December 1st! Welcome to our discussion of Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark.
It took me some time to ease into the world of Dark’s novel. The book is dense, with far more character depth and far less dramatic action than our previous selections. That made it a slow read (for me), but in the end, a rewarding one. When I was done, I felt like I was saying good-bye to some genuine, complex people. I’d summarize Fellowship Point the way Agnes summarized Virgil’s novel: “Beautifully written and intelligent."
SPOILER ALERT – Don’t read any further if you haven’t finished the book!
I didn’t guess that Heidi was Nan – not even with the obvious keywords provided by her psychiatrist. I was really off my game! At first, I was taken aback – “No, it’s a Hallmark twist in a serious piece of literature” – but after a beat, I liked it. Weird coincidences happen in real life all the time, and from a literary standpoint, I never had any objection to them with Dickens or Brontë.
Another plot point that I guessed wrong about was Robert. I didn’t doubt that he was a good man, but I thought it would turn out that he did steal the necklace (perhaps for some allegedly justifiable reason). I’m glad I was wrong about that.
And finally, I wasn’t sure at first if I needed the epilogue (“Inner LIght”), as it mostly recapped what we already knew or expected. But the final few sentences made me tear up, so then I felt differently. I’m a sucker for love, in all its forms. Anyway, growing old, as they say, ain’t for sissies, but Agnes and Polly did it with aplomb.
Evaluate the themes of gender, feminism, and domesticity in Fellowship Point. How do characters, like Agnes, subvert expectations of womanhood? How does Polly, and how does Maud?
Early in the novel, Agnes describes the project of fiction as seeking “to reveal what a particular person [is] bound to do under explicit circumstances” (6). Do you agree with her? If not, how does your idea of fiction’s project differ?
Do you think Agnes’s idea evolves or changes over the course of the book? Alternatively, what would you imagine to be Polly’s idea of fiction? Maud’s?
The act of writing appears throughout the novel, often in different iterations. As readers, we encounter book synopses, letters, academic papers, and more. Discuss the significance of this, taking into consideration the secrets characters are willing to reveal on the page, but not to each other.
Class is another theme in Fellowship Point. Track where it shows up, and how, and explore its relationship to gender. For example, is it significant that many of the landowners in this novel are women?
Art, literature, and the creation of both appear to be recurring motifs in the novel. Characters write, read, comment on art, struggle to produce it, etc. What do you think the author is saying about artistry in this novel—especially as it pertains to work and womanhood?
Discuss the two epigraphs that open the book. How do they inform your interpretation of the novel’s different themes?
How would you characterize Agnes’s friendship with Polly? How do you think that friendship evolves throughout the novel—especially with the introduction of Maud—and what do you think the book is saying about how well people know each other?
Fellowship Point opens with a map of Cape Deel—one that foregrounds many of the novel’s important settings. As a reader, did you notice any location that isn’t represented on this map? Conversely, are there locations that are represented on the map, but which then play smaller roles within the narrative?
Discuss the shifting viewpoints in Fellowship Point. How does the arrangement of them, as well as the fact that we travel across time (from 2000 to the 1870s) and space (from Philadelphia to Manhattan), affect our experience of the story?
I felt the same way @Mary13 - it was a slow start for me but I ended up loving the book- the characters were so rich and I loved the settings and descriptions of both Philly and Maine. I loved that it showed such a deep, life long relationship, in a very real way, with all its flaws and ups and downs. I also didn’t make the connection that Heidi was Nan.
I will say that I struggled with Polly’s character and her relationship with her husband. I was actually kind of cheering when he died.
The only sticking point for me is why Agnes was so reticent to share her true identity as an author of all her books, when she knew she was dying. That rationale didn’t ring true to me, especially since she thought Heidi had died.
I found it hard to be invested in the book as well. It started very slowly and the buildup, complicated as it was due to change of time/place, made it harder to form an initial picture. Eventually, the story gripped me but it was much later than most books. I would have given up had I not the motivation to finish at least one book in time for the discussion!
Funnily, what drew me initially to start reading the book was a small nod to a favorite writer. Maud Silver is an older woman detective in the mystery series written by Patricia Wentworth. I love all her books but especially like the ones featuring Miss Silver.
It took time with this book for me to understand the characters. The book had so many layers! The story meanders through time and space before ending in a satisfying finale. At some point during the journey, it becomes difficult to put down the book. I can’t say when that happened. I ended up reading past midnight to finish the book.
Overall, I liked the book but found some things about the writing tedious. There are too many back and forth journeys to keep track of some of which necessitated rereading.
Dark creates strong characters that come off the book and shape themselves into people you know or have met.
There is a lot to talk about. Looking forward to the discussion.
At first, I was taken aback – “No, it’s a Hallmark twist in a serious piece of literature” – but after a beat, I liked it. Weird coincidences happen in real life all the time, and from a literary standpoint, I never had any objection to them with Dickens or Brontë.