There are many, many layers to Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin which means either a very long review as I wind my way through the story’s complexities OR a very short review, of the ‘just read it’ variety. I’ll err on the short side, with lots of quotes to show off Elkin’s thoughtful prose.

It’s the story of a Parisian apartment, and the two couples that lived there – in 2019, it’s home to Anna, a psychoanalyst, who is processing a recent miscarriage. Her husband, David, has taken a job in London, and returns to Paris every other weekend. She spends her days obsessing over renovating the kitchen, a welcome distraction from her grief.

In 1972, the apartment belonged to Florence and Henry, who also happen to be redoing their kitchen. Florence is finishing her degree in psychology while hoping to get pregnant. But Henry isn’t sure he’s ready for fatherhood.

Particular themes (apart from kitchens!) link the couples – marriage, intimacy and fidelity are central, as their relationships are tested in different ways.

Fidelity is a container for sex, to keep it from being too threatening.

There’s nothing actually that intimate about touching someone else’s tongue with your tongue, is there? she says. We jut don’t do it very often. We’re confusing rarity with intimacy.

But there are also some niche themes – psychoanalysis and the work of French psychiatrist Jacques Lacan; the political, intellectual and practical pursuit of feminism; and our definition of ‘love’ and how that shapes our relationships.

The word you think is the most right may in fact be the most wrong. We force words into place and they don’t want to stay there. I love you, we say to someone, when we mean don’t leave me. Don’t leave me, we say to another person, when we mean to say I want to leave you but I’m a little worried you’ll throw yourself in the Seine. Don’t throw yourself in the Seine, we say, when we want to push them in. We can’t stand each other but we love each other too much to leave.

I’ll admit that I was initially seduced by the cover of Scaffolding, but it didn’t take long to fall into the rhythm of Elkin’s writing and by the time I got stuck into the psychoanalysis bits and the grief bits, I was well and truly hooked.

The story is cleverly constructed around converging narratives, and Elkin draws on the work of Éric Rohmer, the documentary Riposte féministe, and various artworks, political events and even memes to create a sense of time and place.

Some readers will find the Lacan too much (and for this reason, I’m not sure who to recommend this book to) – I thought his theories were thoughtfully used, however, I acknowledge a professional interest.

We only know what we know to know. We can only recognise what we’ve already seen. I worry that’s one of my limitations, as a therapist. That I can only respond to what is a patient is saying on the basis of my narrow understanding of the world.

As always, I was drawn to the theme of grief and in Scaffolding, it’s explored a number of ways. Most obviously through Anna’s experience of miscarriage –

We lost a pregnancy. I don’t know how upset I’m allowed to be, what’s appropriate.

but additionally as she reflects on past relationships.

We think that things come back, but in fact they were never gone.

There is so much to admire in this book, and I’ll be seeking more from Elkin.

4/5

Each day, Anna runs to her local boulangerie for a baguette.