Help me fill in this vague recollection of a story I read?

January 17, 2013 11:58 AM

Help me fill in this vague recollection of a story I read? I read it probably as recently as last year. I don't remember if it's a short story or an incident in a novel.

Anyway, a man's family is at the lake or at the beach. He is supposed to join them at some point but winds up taking a room in a nearby town. There, he becomes fascinated with some writings left behind by the room's prior tenant, a woman who died (tragically?)

It's all so vague. I have a memory of being moved by it and finding it fascinating and now I just can't take the extra step to remembering what it is so that I can reread it. Anybody got bells ringing?

Seems to me there was a landlady at the rooming house who was either venal or overly friendly or curious. I think he made occasional short train trips to the place where the family was staying, without letting on to them that he was staying nearby.

posted by Infinity_8 to media & arts (6 answers total)

The main character is a woman, not a man, but a lot of this reminds me of Anne Tyler's Ladder of Years.
posted by jabes at 1:07 PM on January 17

Thank you, but that wasn't it. I've only read a few Anne Tylers and I know that wasn't it and I've never read it.
posted by Infinity_8 at 1:21 PM on January 17

For some reason your description reminds me of Possession by A.S. Byatt, though after reading the description on Wikipedia I think I'm probably wrong.
posted by slide at 2:34 PM on January 17

It's not Possession, which is about academics researching Victorian poets.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:11 PM on January 17

I've read Possession and this wasn't it, but thanks.
posted by Infinity_8 at 6:44 PM on January 17

Well, this one's going to go dormant any day now, I suppose. If you read this sometime in the next few months or years, and you know the answer, please feel free to me-mail me. Thanks!
posted by Infinity_8 at 1:55 PM on January 22