The Confessions of Edward Day
Valerie Martin
Random House, 2009
by Robin Galen Kilrain~
If you’re like me, the ominous aura and compelling foreshadowing will draw you in to this novel. Author Valerie Martin will seduce you, as the nighttime ocean does Edward Day at the beginning of his “confessions.” Swim parallel to the shore for a while — as Edward should have, thus never requiring the aid that both saved and irreversibly changed his life — and you will be rewarded. You may drift slightly, as the tension does build slowly. But by the time a Chekhovian climax embroils the book’s central trio, you’ll find yourself thankful for Edward’s fateful near drowning. Sure, had he immediately executed a lifeguard’s wise maneuver, he would have been spared much torment. But we, on the other hand, would be minus his tantalizing tale: a vibrant illumination of the progress, and regress, of his own life and acting career along with those of his fellow players. The Confessions of Edward Day (Vintage Contemporaries) shines a spotlight on the underbelly of their world — and we become a willing audience.
Psychological fiction. Actors: fiction. Within these library-designated categories, Martin’s award-winning narrative blends subtle menace with humor darker than the night our hero was rescued. The atmosphere is reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith’s writing (complete with an eerie antagonist named Guy, as in Strangers on a Train), with a homoerotic undercurrent evocative of Oscar Wilde’s work (which, along with many other playwrights’, is referred to briefly). Just a hint of All About Eve tops off the gripping creation within which Martin captures some point-on particulars of many an actor’s concerns and dilemmas.
Martin is not an actor or playwright; she teaches writing and literature, and pens mainly novels. (Mary Reilly was made into a John Malkovich/Julia Roberts film.) [Referencing six degrees of separation — not the excellent play or movie by that title but the premise on which they are based — Malkovich also starred in an adaptation of a Highsmith novel.] Martin’s acknowledgements credit someone for an “actor-oriented reading” of the Confessions manuscript, though, and offer gratitude to someone else for his “harrowing” memories of an actor’s “daily grind” in the characters’ primary environment (New York City, beginning in the early 1970s).
Summer stock at a playhouse in Connecticut, callbacks at the Public Theater, Audition by Michael Shurtleff being used as a bible, and classes with Stella Adler help flesh out a more-than-convincing depiction of a time, a place and, given a slight alteration of details, an enduring lifestyle. Within this world, Edward jabs, repeatedly and sometimes wickedly, at his psyche as an actor and skewers, often with relish, attributes of his profession in general. The commentary is occasionally cutting and often filled with emotional complexity.
Triangles: interpersonal relations. Martin seems to have a handle on this classification of fiction as well. Madeleine Delavergne, the vivacious actor whom neither Edward nor his shadowy look-alike alter ego, Guy Margate, can happily live without — or with — plays an enticing heroine to their off-stage leads. The Truth among them proves to be stubbornly murky. A fine line between lying and acting provides for much doubt and resulting conflict. Feelings, both freely revealed and disguised, are continually analyzed and second-guessed as Edward attempts to navigate and understand these relationships. What is clear is that Edward remains forever in over his head and “at sea” when it comes to Guy’s seemingly sinister intent within their relationship. Guy’s mysterious malevolence, as constant as the tide itself, eventually appears to extend to Madeleine as well. Deceptive appearances, however, are a constant . . .
At the end of the day [okay, I couldn't resist],Confessions is capable of satisfying a broad audience. Those working in the business will certainly connect with at least some of the myriad behind-the-scenes, and behind-the-façade, details. “Outsiders” will doubtlessly be intrigued by a peek behind the curtains and the masks. All can enjoy this vivid character study and solid tale of suspense.
