Jong’s newest novel is unabashedly chick lit of a certain age. At times frothy, at times poignant, Fear of Dying left me with a sense of relaxed cheer. Reading it is akin to enjoying a mimosa-filled brunch and then settling in to watch The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with an old—but stylishly well-preserved—pal. And what’s wrong with that?
On display is the author’s characteristic mix of salty language and broad humor, warmth and truth-telling ... Both Zipless.com and Isadora — who appears infrequently, for the most part dispensing quippy advice and then disappearing — are superfluous, perhaps brought in to draw more readers or to leaven a book that’s primarily about aging and death ... Throughout Fear of Dying, however, Vanessa’s narration is disjointed. Tender, smart passages that ponder the meaning of growing old and the pain of aging in a culture that largely ignores its older women are interspersed with disappointing shtick about Zipless.com or circumcision or shopping.
...for the most part Jong's literary reputation has never matched her commercial success. Fear of Dying, a ruminative, intermittently tedious mess of a novel, is unlikely to change that ... Jong depicts Wonderman as a (mostly) caring daughter, who, in the book's most vividly written scenes, expresses a mixture of tenderness and repulsion toward her impossibly old parents.
Vanessa, it must be said, is not as sympathetic or lovable a narrator as the young Isadora. She is narcissistically obsessed with ageing ... Nevertheless, Vanessa/Jong gradually won me over with her honesty, humour and passion. By the middle of the book, as even Belinda Barkowitz passes away, the quest for sex fades into the background, and questions of mortality and generativity come to the fore.
Fear of Dying is a less radical book than its predecessor, coming at a less radical time. The casual sex that shocked readers more than 40 years ago doesn’t feel scandalous in a more lascivious culture. But Fear of Dying is trailblazing in its own right ... But the book is also the product of a particular sliver of American feminism that is increasingly out of touch with the current movement. Fear of Dying is full of multiple marriages, dogs in sweaters, extra-large diamonds, daddy issues, expensive face-lifts, and brown and black home-care workers who tend to aging parents.
In Flying as in Dying, sex without connection is not the answer. Jong’s passages about the humor and heartbreak of growing older are knowing, soul-bearing, moving and funny ... The book also takes some ill-advised turns, and here, Dying is just dying for a stronger editor’s hand. Isadora sends Vanessa a spacey sci-fi missive via email that inexplicably gets snapped up by Hollywood. Vanessa gets her groove back on a spiritual retreat to holy caves in India. If you are intrigued by this sometimes maddening journey, by all means, overcome your fears.
