Weekend Writing: Reviewing Anne Tyler's "Vinegar Girl"

"In my country, they have proverb: 'Beware against the sweet person, for sugar has no nutrition."

"Well, in my country, they say that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." 

"But why would you want to catch flies, hah? Answer me that, vinegar girl." - Anne Tyler, "Vinegar Girl"

When I read the description of Anne Tyler's 2016 novel, Vinegar Girl, I was immediately intrigued. As a Hogarth Shakespeare project, the novel is a modern-day retelling of a Shakespearean classic, The Taming of the Shrew. As a Shakespeare fan, I had high expectations for Tyler's novel. I hoped it would be imaginative, witty, and treat Shakespeare's original comedy with gentle care.

Anne Tyler's "Vinegar Girl" (photo/Kasy Long).

Tyler definitely exceeded my expectations.

In her revamping, the shrew is Kate Battista, a sarcastic preschool teaching assistant who basically has another full-time job as a housekeeper for her scientist father, Dr. Battista, and her bratty teenage sister, Bunny.

But that changes when her father's prestigious research project is threatened by the imminent deportation of his brilliant foreign lab partner, Pyotr Cherbakov. Dr. Battista would do anything to save his project, so he decides to marry Kate off so Pyotr can get his green card.

Crazy, right? That's exactly what Kate thinks. She's a feminist by all means and she's not expecting to get married to a complete stranger. Unlike Shakespeare's Kate, Tyler's Kate isn't exactly "forced" into marriage, but her father tries every method to persuade her to give Pyotr a chance. If you're familiar with Shakespeare's play, then you know what's going to happen. Kate and Pyotr eventually get married--all with the agreement that once Pyotr gets his green card, they will get a divorce and go their separate ways.

And Kate tells him, "Not a step of this plan involves anybody being crazy about anybody." How long do you think that will last?

I was expecting to feel bad for Kate, but it's just the opposite. Pyotr wasn't as aggressive as Shakespeare's Petruchio, even though he had his fair share of temper tantrums. But, he showed in various ways that he cared for Kate. He's affable, kind, and caring. He would take care of her, protect her, and he thought she was beautiful when everyone else thought she was "average." He genuinely likes her. Over time, our "shrewish" protagonist responds to Pyotr's good spirits, and love--a complicated relationship, of course--takes root.

Anne Tyler (photo/Penguin Random House)

Unlike Shakespeare's classic, Kate isn't "tamed" or "broken." Instead, she chooses to be with Pyotr. After all, her husband isn't the worst guy in the world to marry. At the end of the book, Kate tells her sister that she is doing what is best for her and Pyotr. She says, "I'm not 'backing down,' as you call it. I'm letting him into my country. I'm giving him space where we can both be ourselves."

Essentially, Tyler's modern re-telling is very different from Shakespeare's play, but I think that's the whole point. Kate isn't tamed by Pyotr. She basically tames herself; she grows immensely as a character. She learns to love Pyotr and begins a new life with him.

And it's a beautiful transformation. Seriously, if you're a fan of Shakespeare, or if you're just looking for a good book to read, add this to your "to-be-read" list. You won't regret it. Anne Tyler is, and always will be, a master at writing stories about life, love, and the unexpected happiness you discover along the way.

Read on.

-KJL-