Printz by Maryann D’Agincourt | eview
Maryann D’Agincourt’s mysterious and dream-like novel Printz conjures images of misty peripheral glimpses of ghosts. The novel follows Jacob Printz, a political camping advisor whose sister has suddenly died after an accident. Unsure of how to deal with this tragedy, he travels to Paris to get away from life for a while and sort out his complex feelings. While there, he meets the fragile Gretta Halter, a young college student, who is dealing with her own loss. Together they start to rebuild their lives, but there is always something lurking in the background for Jacob, and Gretta is too afraid to question him.
I loved the ambiance and tone of D’Agincourt’s writing. The entire novel felt like a waking dream. Printz takes place over roughly a two-year journey for Jacob and Gretta. The two meet after meandering around Paris, both grappling with the loss of a loved one. D’Agincourt beautifully depicts the differences in age between Jacob and Gretta through their internal thoughts. Jacob is worldly yet damaged by his parents’ infidelities, and this sets the tone of his relationship with his sister and Gretta. He doesn’t reveal much of his secrets but wants to know what others are thinking and what they know.
Gretta is young, and it shows. After having a fling with the beautiful and exotic Tommaso, her feelings for him are overexaggerated and out of step for their time together. Yet, it is easy to slip into her shoes as we have all stood where she stands and pine of a lost love that wasn’t reciprocated as we had perceived. After she learns the truth or believes she has, another sign of her inexperience and youth, she feels a fool and desperately tries to move on.
My overall impression of Printz walked the line between awe and exacerbation. I loved the pace, the dreamy quality of the narration, and plot, but the characters gave me pause. Jacob and Gretta are flawed. They don’t talk about important topics that impede their growth as individuals. They make assumptions that hinder their holistic understanding of situations. In a nutshell, they are human, and for that, I had to love them. D’Agincourt doesn’t tie the ending of Printz in a tidy bow, there is no major revelation for the characters. Jacob and Gretta both do grow, but their pace is slow and monotonous, like trying to run through water, or in a dream. It wasn’t until the end of the novel that I realized how relatable they both are. Jacob and Gretta aren’t traditional heroes, and that makes them wonderful. They don’t run into the cave to slay the dragon. Instead, they hide in the tree line, watching the beast sleep. They are most people, and that’s beautiful.
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