But although Handy and the majority of the group take it to mean that no egos will prevail in Arcadia, death will be ever present, symbolically and literally, throughout Arcadia.īit’s mother, Hannah, suffers from a crushing depression, brought on ostensibly by seasonal changes but magnified by a recent loss she’s suffered - one that is devastating but that the commune urges her to forget.
Inscribed on the lintel of the house is In Arcadia Ego - “Even in Arcadia am I,” where “I” is understood to be death - a quote quickly misconstrued by the group’s leader, Handy, after his wife, Astrid, has translated it. Also located on the land is a century-old mansion in need of major repairs that will become Arcadia House. But as in any society, fissures and breaks appear as the group settles and begins to build its paradise.īit carries us through the establishment, zenith and downfall of Arcadia, located on 600 acres of land that a commune member’s father signs over to the group. Bit is unborn at this point - in his prenatal reality, he witnesses and revels in the harmony and love among the commune members before their arrival. The novel begins with Bit’s memory of his parents as they travel somewhat aimlessly across the country in a caravan, accompanied by the people who will soon form a commune in western New York State. At the center of this multi-generational story is Ridley Sorrel Stone - or Bit, as he is called, slight and small throughout life. You won’t find a sophomore slump in the novel’s pages instead, you will find a richly told story of one community’s attempt to create a utopia, and the aftershocks affecting its children and grandchildren years later. With Arcadia, Groff easily, almost effortlessly, clears that bar. Her collection of short stories, Delicate, Edible Birds, was hailed as “innovative,” “unique” and “magical.” Arcadia comes not only with reader anticipation but with the difficult task of clearing a bar set very, very high.
Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Ploughshares and the 20 Best American Short Stories anthologies. The author’s follow-up to the best-selling and critically acclaimed The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia also comes on the heels of Groff’s various successes in the short story arena. To say that Lauren Groff’s second novel, Arcadia, comes with great expectations is something of an understatement.
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