The Vivisector (1970) by Patrick White

The Vivisector (1970) by Patrick White This is another Penguin Classics book I found randomly on the “free-table” at work, and it turned out to be one of the most uncomfortable novels I’ve ever read. The Vivisector details the life of an Australian painter, Hurtle Duffield, from his childhood, adopted from poverty into a wealthy family as a prodigy-to-be, through his old age as an acclaimed artist, and ultimately (presumably) to his death by a severe stroke. What’s most striking about White’s novel is that he writes everything as Hurtle sees it - that is, through the eyes of a savant artist. So the reader parses Hurtle’s story not through concrete details so much as the artistic impressions and creative emotions that “paint” them. Hurtle struggles his whole life to commit these impressions to canvas - garnering critical success but not personal solace. He is endlessly troubled, and fails in most all interpersonal relationships from his inability to connect on a human level. Hurtle’s c...