The story in one page
Valancy Stirling lives in a suffocating household where she is considered a permanent, pathetic old maid by her clan. On her twenty-ninth birthday, a doctor warns her of a heart condition that will likely kill her soon. Instead of despairing, Valancy stops pretending to be agreeable, rejects her family's miserable expectations, and moves to the remote Mistawis island to nurse the dying Cissy Gay. There, she marries the local recluse, Barney Snaith. Liberated from her previous, performative life, Valancy finds she actually enjoys living, ultimately inheriting a fortune and realizing her terminal diagnosis was a bureaucratic error.
Who's who
- Valancy Stirling
A restricted woman finding her voice and an island home.
- Barney Snaith
An unconventional island dweller who becomes Valancy's husband.
- Mrs. Frederick
Valancy's mother, who treats obedience as a moral imperative.
- Cissy Gay
The ailing woman Valancy tends to on Mistawis island.
What it's really about
- Radical Honesty
- Discarding social niceties is a transformative, exhilarating act.
- Escapism
- Geography can be a cure for a poisoned spirit.
Why it's memorable
- Valancy throwing a jar of potpourri to smash against a schoolgirl complexion advertisement.
- Valancy wearing a green crêpe dress with crimson beads in a remote cabin.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The couple departs for an international honeymoon, leaving behind their beloved island home, though Valancy knows no other place will ever hold its magic.
For your book club
- Why does the prospect of death make the living so much more interesting?
- Can a family ever recover from the shock of one member choosing themselves?