Important artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton
This book is lovely and an entirely orginal way of exploring a relationship from begining to end. Set out as an auction catalogue of 'Important Artifacts' that help define the relationship of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, from an invite to the halloween party where they first met to the last polite notes and photographs that punctuate their break-up.
The original layout and untraditional style of the book may put some people off but to me this book is like found treasure. It's impossible not to fall for Lenore and Harold (or Buttertart and Hal as they often refer to each other). Leanne Shapton has created a masterpiece that left me desperate for more of the couple as their story is told by engravings on antique cake servers, scribbled notes on old theatre programmes and snippets from half written letters hidden inside secondhand books (and so many more artifacts, which are both ordinary and extraordinary for the significance they had in the couple's relationship, a significance that wasn't obvious until after the relationship had ended and the items are studied, photographed and commented upon for the auction catalogue.)
This is an auction catalogue but it is also a romance novel, a study of relationships, of city life in New York at the start of the 21st century and of how two people can be so right and so wrong for each other.
The auction date is Saturday 14th February 2009, a clue right there on the cover that all will not end well for Lenore and Hal, but I'm not sure who (other than me) would want to buy the collection of mix-tapes (actually CD's in this day and age), vintage bathing suits, old hats, broken mugs, scribbled on post-it notes, old rugs and horrible dog ornaments in real life. But I would have gladly gathered in everything and gloated over it by the end of the book, I had grown to love Hal and especially Lenore so very much.
Through these things, through the photographs and brief descriptions by the auctioneer, we know everything and noting about this couple and that's one of the things that make this book so wonderful, we learn so much, we are left to imagine so much more.
The story of the romance is quite old fashioned and lovely too. Being told in this way and comprising of a lot of photographs, handwritten letters, vintage clothing and decorative items it has an older feel to it. The emails that are catalogued are not pictured and there are no old mobile telephones containing saved texts on offer. It does have the effect of dating the romance to before emails and mobiles were common objects and for me that adds a charm to the book.
The age difference for the couple, with Lenore at 26 and Hal at 38, adds to the inevitability of the break-up once you see it happening. Hal is already successful and established in his career and perhaps a little set in his ways. Lenore is just starting to become successful, puts a greater importance on things that seem trivial to Hal, and is prone to tantrums, while both experience petty jealousies and childish bouts of sulking. But both also show an ability to have fun, to step outside the norm of convention and to be incredibly thoughtful of and generous to the other. It's easy to forgive them their faults when both have such likability and charm.
I loved the book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something different and quietly wonderful. I will definately reread it and intend to catch up on anything else Shapton has written (although created is a more accurate word for this book).
