Weekend Review: The English Understand Wool

  

The English Understand Wool / Helen DeWitt
New York: New Directions, c2022.
69 p.

I kept seeing this novella mentioned by book bloggers and instagrammers so was delighted to find it in a library collection. I read it in one go; it's only 69 pages, but a pleasure from beginning to end. 

17 yr old Marguerite has been raised with strict standards. She lives in Marrakech, had music lessons, bridge lessons, knows clothing and is taught to avoid mauvais ton at all costs. She's also been taught to treat one's servants well, give them opportunities and pay well, and to give them the month of Ramadan as a paid month off. During which time she and Maman travel to England for wool tweed from the Outer Hebrides (to be made up in London), Ireland for linen, and Paris to their dressmaker. But this year, their Ramadan travels do not follow the usual routine. 

Maman disappears, and Marguerite is the centre of a press frenzy that leads to a publishing deal for her tell-all. But just as the English understand wool, Marguerite understands that she must take care of herself first. Her lessons from Maman serve her well. 

This story was clever, really funny, and full of digs at publishing culture and the super rich. "The English Understand Wool" is both the first and last line of the story, and this reliance on always getting the best required by the circumstances is a theme throughout. There is discussion of fabrics, fashion and dressmaking as well, and the Thai seamstress set up in Paris by Maman plays a key role - as Marguerite notes, men never think about a seamstress. This was an entertaining read, definitely recommended as a light, clever amusement.