The Museum Guard
The Museum Guard by Howard Norman is a beautifully written novel published by Picador in 2000. This first edition spans 310 pages and is presented in English. The story revolves around two museum guards, an eccentric uncle and his orphaned nephew, DeFoe, who curate an art collection while engaging in heated conversations. Set against the backdrop of 1938 Halifax, Nova Scotia, the narrative explores DeFoe’s love for Imogen, the caretaker of a small Jewish cemetery, and her obsession with a Dutch painting that leads her to seek a deeper understanding of life for Jews in Amsterdam during a tumultuous time.
Readers will find a rich exploration of personal histories and desires as the characters navigate their relationships and the weight of their pasts. The novel examines the longing to break free from the mundane and take action, culminating in a startling conclusion. With themes of romance and the echoes of the Holocaust, The Museum Guard presents a poignant narrative that reflects on a world lost yet not forgotten.
Official synopsis Publisher
An amazing and beautifully written novel about two museum guards, one an eccentric uncle, the other his orphaned nephew, DeFoe. By day they spend their time curating an art collection, breaking the silence of the museum with heated conversation; by night we learn about their loves and past histories. DeFoe is in love with Imogen, the young caretaker of the sole small Jewish cemetery in Halifax Nova Scotia, where the novel begins in 1938. She becomes obssessed with a Dutch painting called Jewess on a Street in Amsterdam and abandons her life to look for nobility in the intensity of life in Amsterdam for Jews in the late 30s.
The book is an examination of the desire to step out of the everyday and into action, with a startling conclusion. With echoes of the holocaust and of a world lost but not forgotten, this is a poignant and perfect novel of great power.
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