The More I Owe You: A Novel

With the success of Michael Cunningham's  The Hours: A Novel  and Colm Toibin's  The Master: A Novel , it has become somewhat of a cliche for novelists to write biographical historic novels of literary figures. Michael Sledge's entry into this increasingly crowded field, however, is mostly a triumph. His novel about the love affair of the poet Elizabeth Bishop with the wealthy Lota de Macedo Soares and their life together in Brazil in the 1950's and '60's is an absorbing tale with remarkably few missteps for a first novel.In his recent book,  The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist (Charles Eliot Norton Lectures) , Orhan Pamuk writes that the novelist's first duty is pictorial, to allow the reader to see the events of the novel. In this respect, Sledge succeeds wonderfully. His descriptions of the scenic wonders of Brazil are precise, original and evocative. In this way he recalls another gay novelist, David Ebershoff, who in  The Danish Girl: A Novel , offers cinematic descriptions and apt metaphors without overwriting:"Lota had begun to supervise the dynamiting after the first fellow miscalculated a blast and showered them all with granite, rocks small and large raining down on their lunch, like a tea party in Pompeii". (p.135)"The mornings were blue, pure, cool. Rio in winter. On the terrace, Elizabeth swept the view with the binoculars-she couldn't get enough of them-from the rocky point on the north end of the beach to a brazilian navy cruiser heading out to sea, full of sailors in blue hats with red pompoms and stubble on their chins, then past the islands tarnished like silverware, and down to the beach below, where a soccer ball made impact with a bare chest, golden hair glistened on an arm, and a swarthy foot caressed the smooth shapely leg beside it. Skin, such a lovely invention". (p.218)He also opens up the daily life of Bishop and her enchantment by both Brazil and Lota's love that the reader is seduced as well and enters the love affair as a third party rather than merely a voyeur.Only rarely does the writing become lazy and fall into the trite phrase: "In Elizabeth's face, Lota could see her as a little girl discovering a mystery of nature for the first time, a chrysalis, a bird's blue egg in a nest". (p.127)If this novel is typical of his talents, Mr. Sledge has a major literary career ahead of him. It is never too early for the reader to make this discovery.

"Writing should be about observing your own experience, taking a magnifying glass to your immediate world. You can make anything into a poem, but it’s your observations of the subject that invest the poem with meaning, with depth and layers, just as they give life meaning. Do you understand the difference?”If this isn't great writing, then I don't know what is.First of all, the fact that this is the author's first novel is mind-boggling. Michael Sledge writes with the conviction of an actor who assumes his role on stage, who IS the character he's interpreting. What's more, he understands the female psyche, with all its beautiful intricacies. He speaks with a voice that he's made his own.Secondly, this novel enthrals you from beginning to end due to its lush descriptions of Brazil. So vivid are the birds, the flowers and the people of Brazil that I wish someday I could visit this wonderful country. I fell in love with it.Thirdly, it was hard for me not to highlight the whole book, so much I have enjoyed it. Love, nostalgia, longing, conflict, passion and most of all, beauty come alive with every page.This is without a doubt one of the finest novels I've ever read.

Michael Sledge has written a fictional account of the relationship between the great poet Elizabeth Bishop and her long time companion Lota Soares, an acclaimed Brazilian architect. It is beautifully written. Sledge acknowledges that he uses quotes from Bishop throughout. He effectively imagines the intense interior lives of these women, drawn to one another almost tragically. If you are a fan of Bishop, renowned as perhaps the greatest of 20th century poets, you may find this examination of her life in Brazil during the 1950's a fascinating read, well worth your time.

This carefully researched novelization of the life of the poet Elizabeth Bishop and her time with Lota Soares in Brazil paints an intimate portrait of the two women and their obsessions, passions, and emotional challenges. While their passion for each other was unmistakable, their different interests and perspectives constantly pulled at them. From Elizabeth's health issues and alcoholism, to Lota's strong political leanings, we see a relationship drawn to the brink, but pulled back together, although not without consequences. The novel provides a depth of historical detail that adds to the telling of their story. This was a wonderful debut novel, and I had the fortune of meeting the author at the Tucson Festival of Books. I look forward to his future works.

A stunning, mesmerizing, complex portrait of a great American poet and a great Brazilian architect. How is a gay man able to describe with such sensitivity and poetic power the passion and love between two women? I appreciate the author's deep familiarity with Bishop's poetry, which infuses this rich, tender, tragic story. The More I Owe You has become one of my most admired novels.

Great story about the love affair between these two. Watched the movie and then bought the book.

I was not looking forward to reading this book when it was assigned to me as part of an MFA class. The novel actually mesmerized me and I still can't get the ending out of my head. On one level - informative, on another - poetic. Overall a wonderful read!

This is a tale of two people who passionately loved each other but just could not break up or be happy together. I was very moved by the story, which I'd never heard, and felt regret for all those whose self-imposed barriers short-circuit their lives.