The Third O'Keefe Book for Young Adults
A House Like a Lotus is Madeleine L’Engle’s third book featuring Polly O’Keefe. It is one of L’Engle’s books that, like so many of her books, bridges age groups and genres. Ostensibly, it is a young adult novel since the protagonist, Polly O’Keefe, is only sixteen years old and she tells her own story. However, L’Engle’s handling of the material appeals to adults and the lessons learned are certainly ones that adults can benefit from as well as teenagers. It is an easy book to read. L’Engle’s writing style is always easily comprehensible regardless of topic or genre.
Both Present Tense and Flashbacks are Used to Tell Story
Many of L’Engle’s novels have super-natural events in them. However, A House Like a Lotus is firmly planted in the reality. While the novel doesn’t have huge time shifts like many of her novels, it does occur in both the past and the present. The present time in the novel is Polly’s trip to Cyprus to be a gopher at a literary conference. The past is her life on Benne Seed Island; in particular, her friendship with artist Maximiliana Horne. The story is told in the present tense with a series of flashbacks filling the reader in on the necessary details.
An Easy Novel to Read with Good Lessons
Like many of L’Engle’s books, A House Like a Lotus is not easy to put down and is, therefore, quickly finished. Like so many of L’Engle’s books, it wrestles with the spiritual issues that we all must deal with. What makes this novel compelling is that it makes the reader think about those issues in a different way and helps them to open their mind. Two main lessons are learned by Polly in this novel. The first is a warning against putting people on pedestals and a reminder about how dangerous it can be. The second is a lesson in compassion. Polly learns about compassion from Max but finds her compassion put to the test when she discovers Max’s secret.
This novel is easy to read and enjoyable. The story sticks in the reader’s mind and the ideas left behind by Madeleine L’Engle will certainly give the reader plenty to think about as they digest the story and its implications.
A House Like a Lotus, by Madeleine L’Engle (Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, 1984). 308 pages
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