Family History – Vita Sackville West (1932)

It seems that at one time this novel by Vita Sackville West was fairly neglected, and apparently even Vita herself wrote of it quite disparagingly. However as well as being a really good story – it a wonderful 1930’s exploration of the complexities of family life, relationships and society in an England on the brink of great change. West also seems to have quite a bit to say about love in this novel, romantic love, obsessional love of people and places and the difficulties when the lovers are mismatched in the eyes of society, alongside the perils of staking too much on one person.

Evelyn Jarrold is a beautiful, elegant woman, nearing forty a widow with a seventeen year old son at Eton. Her father in law is a self-made man, wealthy with a large country estate, he is proud of the coal industry which made his fortune. Living in a London flat Evelyn has kept close to this large family of sons, daughters and grandchildren since her husband died in the First World War. Evelyn is trusted and respected by her in-laws; her conduct has never been in question. The Jarrolds are a traditional family, hunting, shooting conservatives that Evelyn’s son Dan, his Grandfather’s heir, finds himself to be rather at odds with. Evelyn’s niece Ruth adores her glamorous aunt, visiting her and chatting to her at length – although Evelyn finds her adoration rather wearisome.

Miles Vane-Merrick is a twenty five year old rising Labour politician. He too is from a privileged background – a younger son he has no money, although he has a picturesque ruined castle and surrounding lands buried deep in the Kent countryside, where he lives much of the time with a couple of faithful old retainers. Miles’s home is an almost exact representation of Sissinghurst – the Nicolson family home that Vita herself loved so dearly and where in the 1930’s she created some spectacular gardens .

“The lane widened, and the fan of light showed up a group of oast-houses beside a great tiled barn; then it swung round on a long, low range of buildings with a pointed arch between two gables. Miles drove under the arch and pulled up. It was very dark and cold. The hard winter starlight revealed an untidy courtyard, enclosed by ruined walls, and, opposite, an arrowy tower springing up to a lovely height with glinting windows”

When Evelyn and Miles begin a passionate relationship they are flouting several social conventions and inequalities. Evelyn is a fashionably and expensively dressed woman right off the cover of a fashion magazine, used to a life of comfort, ease and idleness. Miles is an idealistic socialist working on an economics book; he loves the countryside and his castle almost obsessively. Evelyn and Miles strive to keep their relationship a secret – spending time together at Miles’s castle or at Evelyn’s flat while Dan finishes his year at Eton. Evelyn’s love for Miles is of the all-consuming variety, he becomes her reason for living, and yet she is concerned about how her son and family would re-act to her relationship. Evelyn is jealous of Mile’s work, of his bohemian friends who she dislikes. Dan meanwhile is delighted by Miles, hangs upon his every word, impressed by his ideologies he see in Miles all the things he aspires to – things the Jarrolds will never understand or approve.

“Love as Evelyn understood it was an entire absorption of one lover into the other. He wanted to retain his individuality, his activity, his time-table. He wanted to lead his own life, parallel with the life of love, separate, independent.”

There is a story (referred to in the introduction to my VMC edition) that Harold Nicolson read Family History during a train journey and wept the entire way. Throughout the story of Evelyn and Miles, the reader has the distinct impression that this love affair cannot survive the difficulties which each of these mismatched lovers place upon the other. Evelyn cares deeply about her beloved son, but outside of her relationship with Dan she is quite able to be spoilt, selfish, vain and dreadfully jealous – yet she is not unlikeable, there is a sympathetic vulnerability to Evelyn – she is conventional with few if any interests. Yet in idealist Miles – a man who likes his women “idle and decorative” and hates “clever women” I found much more to dislike.
The ending is perhaps inevitable in one sense – yet Vita Sackville-West gives her readers an ending that is really very sad, but beautifully written.