On one occasion I dared to write the second part of The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. Perhaps one day I will upload the result to this blog. Of course, modesty limits me enough in the face of the pretentiousness of the task ...
In the case of John Banville, the consecrated genius capable of finding stories to publish under his name or under the pseudonym Benjamin Black, has encouraged Mrs. Osmond to draw up an updated revision of "Portrait of a Lady", the great novel of Henry james.
And of course, in his case the result, how could it be otherwise, is fully satisfactory. Isabel Osmond is the Isabel Archer read and transformed by the Irish genius.
The coincidences between the two protagonists are remarkable in the background, in terms of the circumstances they face, that kind of abandonment, spite and bitterness that can arouse in any couple who know they are supplanted in bed by the lover on duty.
From Rome to London, Isabel Osmond sets out on the journey to the moment before being tricked by Gilbert Osmond. Recovering youth can mean embarking on the melancholy of the impossible in the sensation of a retrogression that appears ridiculous in its impossible materialization.
Meanwhile, the feeling of necessary revenge also looms between frustration and some hint of happiness gained from the freedom initially imposed and finally conquered for the best purpose.
When Isabel is forced to return to Rome, Gilbert will continue to wait for her with the ease of someone who only made a slip that was easily remedied. And that is where we will discover if during her escape to London Isabel has managed to reconvert herself, find the strength to impose her worth, flying over everything that Gilbert represents: infidelity, amorality and complete disregard for any woman.
You can now buy the novel Mrs. Osmond, the new book by John Banville, here: