Fonseca - A Rich and Layered Delight
Unfortunate are the adventures which are never narrated.
– Penelope Fitzgerald
An exhausting journey of many miles by boat and bus have brought Penelope Fitzgerald and her thoughtful six-year-old son Valpy from their home in Hampstead, London to the doorstep of this “very strange house” in Fonseca, Mexico. It is November 2,1952, and the elderly Delaney sisters, who are without any living relations, have summoned Valpy from abroad for consideration as a potential heir to their family’s fortune. Penelope’s financial situation is dire due to her alcoholic husband’s habits and their teetering literary journal. Her wild hope is that these old and distant family friends will see Valpy as a suitable fit to receive the Delaney estate thus alleviating the Fitzgerald’s money troubles.
The Delaney house is strange indeed. From the beginning Kane paints casa Mirando as an almost-haunted house seen through the eyes of Penelope and Valpy upon their Day of the Dead arrival, and hints at the peculiarities to come.
“The gray stone with wood shutters in the French style was at odds with all the buildings around it, every one stucco in the colors of sunset. The house stood right up against the pavement, three gabled sections around a shallow front courtyard. Five steps led up from the front wall to what looked like the door of a castle keep, old oak with iron bolts and bars. Above and to the left was a heavy, rounded balcony that reminded Penelope of a pulpit. There were several tall chimneys, two dormers, and a number of mullioned windows in various sizes, all shuttered. Old, twisted pecan trees on the street further darkened the front.”
Elena Delaney presides over Mirando along with her widowed sister-in-law Anita, whom she seems to tolerate for the sake of her deceased brother William. Together the Doñas entertain themselves with an unhurried flow of houseguests, evening visitors, and a steady supply of drinks to lubricate their conversations with those who wish to have business with them. Each evening the mini bar is wheeled in by Chela, Mirando’s salty housekeeper of thirty years, with offerings for those who arrive to pitch or nudge their proposals. Penelope is unpleasantly surprised to find other contenders at Mirando vying for the estate. Concerned, she asks Chela about the many visitors to which the housekeeper simply replies, “It is very time-consuming and expensive. But anyone who wishes to have business with the Doñas calls at this time.”
Chela is a colorful, anchored character who embodies the superstitions and lore of Fonseca’s Mexican culture. Her direct approach to both life and the unconventional workings of the Delaney home offer no apologies and are delivered without regard to age or sensitivity. She has a warmth for Valpy but doesn’t scale her speech toward his youth, allowing him to take facts just as they come. When the topic of the Doñas missing cat Jasper arises, Valpy simply repeats to his mother what the others haven’t been told, “Chela found him half-eaten by a coyote and dropped at the kitchen door.” With her keen observations and quips at the ready, Chela is indispensable and serves to acculturate the reader to the customs of Mirando and Fonseca itself.
“I know why the house is called Mirando,” Valpy tells his mother. “It means watching.” Chela has informed Valpy that Mirando is watching everything. The entire story hints at the supernatural, giving it an underlying eeriness that permeates its pages. Tapping doors, rattling windows, shadowy priests, and disappearing objects combine to add an otherworldly element to Fonseca. Kane, however, doesn’t go off the rails with the paranormal and manages an artful balance between the macabre and the rich culture in which the Delaneys live. Her clear prose allows the reader to play around a bit; go all-in with the supernatural, or remain on terra firma within the tangible daily workings of the home. Whether you believe the coldest part of Mirando is due to the Doña’s brother dying there, or that it’s simply an old, drafty home, is entirely up to reader preference. No matter how you play it, the story works very well.
Fonseca is a smartly written work that transports the reader to an almost unreal setting populated with a cast of unpredictable characters including artists Josephine and Edward Hopper. Though this sounds like chaotic reading, it is quite the opposite. Kane’s work is fluid and incorporates correspondences throughout giving the story backbone and form. It quickly draws in the reader and doesn’t let go until Penelope and Valpy’s departure.
Don’t skip the Author’s Note! Jessica Francis Kane’s story “is based on a journey Penelope Fitzgerald made to northern Mexico in 1952 as the family descended into poverty.” This story is so vivid it is hard to believe that Penelope Fitzgerald herself didn’t write it. As for Penelope’s opening quote? How fortunate readers are that Kane did indeed narrate this adventure in fictional form.
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