Hard Mouth by Amanda Goldblatt

Abstract

Reviewed by: Hard Mouth by Amanda Goldblatt CM Sears (bio) hard mouth Amanda Goldblatt Counterpoint Press https://www.counterpointpress.com/dd-product/hard-mouth/ 256 pages; Cloth, $25.00 Amanda Goldblatt's first book of fiction Hard Mouth is a fascinating tale of a young protagonist's search for meaning, hope, and consolation as she copes with her father's long-term battles with cancer and his slow decline. The novel is starkly original. Goldblatt portrays the internal conflict of Denny, a woman set against herself, with quick wit, bracing energy, and ironic humor. Unable to cope with her father's mortality and recurrent battles with cancer, Denny devises a prolonged and risky immersion in the wild. [End Page 66] Denny's character is a typical typical twenty-something woman facing her own struggles and inadequacies as a daughter, woman, and scientist, but there are marked examples of how Denny is a tougher character than most. She is an especially refreshing female character set in her decisions, fiercely independent and driven to create meaning and authenticity. Denny is not easily swayed: by affection, loyalty, or even by duty. An only child, she could easily slip into a care-giving role, as adult children in small families often do. Instead, Denny finds solace in isolation, abnegation, and almost self-sacrificing atonement. The protagonist of Goldblatt's blazing novel is the human epitome of a hard-mouthed hound. With dogged persistence, the heroine digs herself into her own pit of alienation, cutting herself off from her job, sabotaging her research position. She impulsively releases the specimens—a move that results in her termination. Goldblatt's terse and witty writing style shines especially in character development and dialogue. Take the blunt manner in which the character is introduced in the first few pages: All around me there were stripped fringes of grass. I had made a bald clearing of dirt on the lawn. I was already in trouble and so went on making my harvest. It pleased me. There is, I'd learn, some freedom in the compounding of bad behavior. The bold absence of social niceties and people-pleasing is astonishing. In the above passage, Goldblatt's introduction of Denny as a hard-headed child sets the character on a particularly rocky path. Denny's experiences in school are truncated by the heavy burden of witnessing her father's battle with cancer. Denny begins by escaping her situation with indulgent drinking and meaningless sex. The story slows as gradually the veneer of the character is cracked open. We gain more perspective as the family backstory is revealed. While Denny was a college student, the two enjoyed practicing a quiet morning routine of swimming thirty laps together. Beginning "on the green-tile pool deck, where it smells like chlorine with a secret of mildew" they absorb into the natatorium's reflective surfaces: "tall windows along the length of the water shower wet grass, or melting snow, or blotting sun." Practicing a rhythmic if "messy" crawl stroke—in parallel lanes—normalized the disruption of serious illness. But the comfort and order of the swimming ritual is cut short. [End Page 67] Between my graduation and the mountain, our swimming outings ceased. First I stopped, saying I was too busy, though I was not. Then Pop stopped, sick; started again, then stopped, sick again. In this ignorant, organic way we began to abandon one another. On Denny's first full day in the woods, she considers her options. "Here in the wild I had every option of movement and space, a self-serving roamer's delight. Once the sun was high and I could see it like an opponent, I rose from the dock and slipped into the water." This recreational swim in the lake allows for flashbacks about the best times between father and daughter. Cancer is a loaded word, and a hefty diagnosis. Oftentimes, as is the case with chronic illness, the patient and the supporting team, family and friends, are in for a shock, as medical staff and technology run chess-like strategies with symptom management and interventions. As an adult coping with the last round of her father's illness, prior...