I can't wait to read this something else by this writer. She has a talent for language and consistency that I admire. This particular story intrigued me, but didn't fully engage me but I will be watching for her next novel.

A really inventive, engaging look at depression. It's especially interesting through Esther's eyes, as the reader experiences her introduction, confusion, and triumph with it.

There is such a sense of melancholy in “Mr. Chartwell”… Despite the subject matter, I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s sad…but despite its summer setting – there’s far more shadows than sun.

The two main characters, Winston Churchill and Esther Hammerhans, make for a very interesting contrast. They are each visited by the “black dog” (the name that Churchill used for the depression that beset him during his life) – “Mr. Chartwell” or “Black Pat”, but with very different results.

Esther, who lost her husband nearly two years ago, has only begun to know this black embodiment of depression.

“Esther awoke with a gentle jolt. The primitive departments of her brain, the units that dealt with anciently evolved instincts, were wiring encrypted telegrams to her consciousness. They told Esther in a subtle siren that Black Pat was near. The sirens were insistent, he was very close. It took a minute of hard concentration as she listened through the shades of silence, but then it came. Underneath the sound of the sleeping street, the sound of her own breathing, was the ambiance of an animal.”

Churchill, however, has known this dark presence for many, many years. “I understand that we share a wicked union, and I know the goblin bell which summons you comes from a tomb in my heart. And I will honor my principles, labouring against the shadows you herald. I don’t blench from this burden, but” – here he let out a deep breath, laying the glasses down gently – “it’s so demanding; it leaves me so very tired.”

The melancholy of the story of two people connected by this unseen but overwhelming presence, comes not only from the two of them but from Mr. Chartwell himself. The reader gets the sense that although he accepts his task of guarding them and not leaving them alone – he understands how dreadful it is.

“I’ve wondered on occasion whether you were there, waiting to stake your flag from the moment my soul entered this world.”

“I didn’t come until sent for.” Black Pat’s eyes were like leeches on him. “But I’ve been a companion to others around you, so I’ve never been far away.”

The “black dog” though used by Churchill, works well in the story. Other types of animals might have worked, but there’s something about the unavoidable smell, hulking size, overpowering fur and muscle that works very well. Even when not front and center, Chartwell’s sheer bulk makes it so that Esther/Churchill are aware of his presence at all times.

“It’s a love with a capacity you have no concept of.” Black Pat said with a hot voice. “It’s a love that would endure beyond the precinct of your days with a ferocity you can’t hope to equal.”

“Wait, ferocity?”

“Boundless, endless, friendless ferocity.”

“No,” Esther said after a speechless period, her eyes dark holes. “That’s not love, it’s possession.”

The draw of this beast, the consuming nature of his presence, forces not only a young librarian but one of the most powerful men in the history of the world to fight. Fight demons both inside and outside themselves. This “dark star in the constellation which forms me...” is the center of this poignantly lovely novel.

Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt? Let’s start with Mr. Chartwell. He is a black Labrador, six-foot-seven standing in his hind legs. He speaks English and only appears to the two main characters: Winston Churchill (you remember him) and Esther Hammerhaus (librarian and secretary at the House of Commons Library). This a fantasy novel about depression, as personified by Mr. Chartwell.

A very British novel about two peoples’ struggles with depression without explicitly mentioning depression. I found the talking, invisible dog confusing.

For my expanded report: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2019/06/mr-chartwell-by-rebecca-hunt.html
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.

Recommended by Susie

Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Smr.%20chartwell%20hunt__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl

This is a dark book about depression that has both light-hearted and humorous moments--a wonderful combination. Winston Churchill suffered from depression his entire life and called his depression the "black dog". Using this historical fact, Rebecca Hunt has crafted a wonderful novel about depression and how it can completely consume lives. The story takes place over a five day period in July 1964 and involves Winston Churchill as he prepares to retire from Parliament and leave public life and Esther Hammerhans, a young House of Commons librarian, who is facing the second anniversary of her husband's death by suicide. Deciding to rent her spare bedroom, Esther is surprised when Mr. Chartwell shows up to rent the room. Mr. Chartwell is a 6 foot 7 inch black Laborador who walks on his hind legs and talks. He wants to rent Esther's room so that he can be near Winston Churchill and he also wants to draw Esther into the depths of depression. As the story unfolds, Churchill and Esther meet and Mr. Chartwell works hard to keep and extend control over both of them. A wonderful debut novel.

I really liked this quirky book. Unique portrayal of the physical manifestation of Depression. I especially enjoyed the humor.. the silly bantering between Corkbowl and Esther...love it, was very sweet. And well, Black Pat's dog behavior was so real... so doglike... I could readily picture his antics and then experience some of them myself with my own black dog (who is more an embodiment of joy than darkness).

Historical fiction with a twist: the weekend before Winston Churchill retires, a librarian at the Westminster Library gets a new tenant, a huge (ok, beyond huge) black dog. "Mr. Chartwell" is the embodiment of the depression that Churchill suffered most of his life - Esther is starting down that path, and because their lives are linked, "Black Pat" (his other name) decides to move in.

This isn't historical fiction where you get a real look at the lives of the people during that time, it's a glimpse of an historical moment. Esther's life was shattered two years earlier when her husband committed suicide, and on the anniversary of his death she starts to sink into depression. Hence Mr. Chartwell's visit. Churchill is retiring, an event that would lead anyone to depression. Hence Black Pat's reappearance in his life.

The question of how depression affects people, what it looks like and feels like, how a Mr. Chartwell can destroy a house or a life is an interesting one. That's what makes this book such a different type of historical fiction, as it's less about the event and more about the emotions.

ARC provided by publisher.

The jacket of this book definitely drew me in. Once started, however, it was a bit of a slow read. It took me until halfway through to start to feel for the characters. The highlight of the book for me was the meeting between Esther and Churchill - it felt the best written and seemed to hold the most emotion. All in all, a good read...

3 1/2 stars. Interesting depiction of depression - my favourite part was Clementine talking to Mr Chartwell.