The Taker
Alma Katsu, 2011
Simon & Schuster
448 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781439197059
Summary
True love can last an eternity ... but immortality comes at a price . . .
On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her, despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.
Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.
Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1959
• Where—Alaska, USA
• Raised—near Concord, Massachusetts, USA
• Education—B.A., Brandeis University; M.A, Johns
Hopkins University
• Awards—American Library Association's Top Ten
Debut Novel
• Currently—lives in Reston, Virginia
In her words
Many writers have certain genes in their DNA. We're the kids who always have their nose in a book, who live in the library (my first paying job was as a page—yes, a page in the library), are loners, and inordinately fond of fairy tales.
I grew up reading my oldest sister's gigantic Golden Book of Fairy Tales until it fell apart. I loved the book because it had fairy tales that I'd never read before, like "Bright, Deardeer and Kit" and Japanese fairy tales (growing up half-Japanese without seeing any references to Japanese stories, this seemed very enlightened to me). I also loved the slightly horrible things kept in those translations, like how frogs and snakes would fall from a villain's lips whenever she (the main characters were often female, another plus) told a lie. Once we'd all grown up, my oldest sister decided she wanted it back. I pined for it and thought I'd never find it again, but to my delight my husband had a copy from his childhood—in pristine condition! It's one of my prized possessions.
Although I was born in Alaska, I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts very near the famously historic town of Concord. I didn't think I was particularly susceptible to the colonial influence or was a history buff in general, but apparently it seeped into my subconscious. Everywhere you turn in that part of Massachusetts, there are historical landmarks (the Old Manse, the Old North Bridge, battlefields, cemeteries) and just plain old houses that people live in. It was part of our everyday; you couldn't get away from it. It also probably didn't hurt that I'm a fan of Nathaniel Hawthorne, either....
Katsu is Japanese. It's my husband's family name; he's half-Japanese. So am I, but on my mother's side. Because I don't look particularly Asian, I always felt that side of me was hidden, so it's nice to have my husband's name to point to, like having a card that shows I'm part of the club....
As I mentioned, my mother is Japanese and was raised Buddhist. She didn't raise us to be Buddhist, but we absorbed notions about her beliefs; it would've been impossible not to. The thing is, I went to a Catholic school. As a child, I wasn't one to question inconsistencies; I didn't even see the inconsistencies between Catholicism and Buddhism and, to their credit, the priests and nuns never tried to "correct" my thinking about, say, reincarnation (though they were probably mightily confused.)
So, while it might annoy some people that I've conflated alchemy, religion and magic, to me it seems perfectly natural. To draw hard distinctions between notional things is folly, in my mind; well, you can draw distinctions for yourself but it would be futile to try to get everyone else to adhere to your beliefs. One person's religion is another person's magical delusion. One person's science is another person's magic. And, of course, some people treat religion as a science as opposed to philosophy or, say, fiction. While I'm a fan of fantasy, I've never been a believer in delusion. (Which, by the way, is why you won't find specific details of the spells and elixirs in the novel. I don't want anyone ingesting newt's eye or mandrake root on my say so.) (From the author's website.)
Book Reviews
Alchemy and love prove a volatile mix in Katsu's vividly imagined first novel, which toggles between the present and the past. While working the graveyard shift at a rural Maine hospital, Dr. Luke Findley discovers that patient Lanny McIlvrae has miraculous self-healing powers. Lanny then relates the incredible tale of her life: sent packing to Boston by her family in 1817 to give birth to her illegitimate child, she fell in with the entourage of Count Adair, a centuries-old alchemist who saved her life with an elixir of immortality. Decadent and domineering, Adair took Lanny as his mistress—a role she accepted until Adair's scheme to use her true love, Jonathan, to perpetuate his unnatural existence forced her to a desperate ruse to thwart his formidable magic powers. Katsu shows considerable skill in rendering a world where Adair's unspeakable evilness and Lanny's wild passion make the supernatural seem possible. The result is a novel full of surprises and a powerful evocation of the dark side of romantic love.
Publishers Weekly
On a cold winter night a young woman is brought into an emergency room in the small Maine town of St Andrew. Lanore McIlvrae is covered in blood and probably injured, but the sheriff also believes she murdered someone. When Lanore is alone with emergency physician Luke Findley, she tries desperately to convince him of her innocence, telling her story in mind-numbing detail. In the late 19th century, she met and fell in love with Jonathan, the man Lanore is now accused of killing. At one point, Lanore's family sent her from the town to avoid a terrible scandal. During this journey, she met the man who made her immortal and brought her back to Jonathan. Finally, the plot begins to move, although at times the pace is still slow. —Patricia Altner, Biblioinfo.com, Columbia, MD
Library Journal
(Starred review.) Readers won’t be able to tear their eyes away from Katsu’s mesmerizing tale.
Booklist
A backwoods Maine doctor falls under the spell of a confessed killer whose loves and sorrows go back two centuries.... Beneath the trappings of undead lore is a love story that's deeply old-fashioned, and not just because the principals were born 200 years ago.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Why does Luke leave his home to follow Lanny? Is his willingness to leave his life behind a sign of strength or of weakness? What would you have done if you were in Luke's position?
2. Do you think it was fair of Jonathan to ask Lanore to end his suffering? Did Lanore owe it to him? Do her actions in Maine absolve her of her long life of transgressions?
3. What separated Lanore from the other immortal members of Adair's court? Consider Alejandro, Tilde, Dona, Uzra, and their various stories of origin.
4. Discuss the evolution of Lanny's character, from a coy, young girl from the backwoods of Maine to a world-traveled, immortal hedonist. Is Luke destined to be just another fling, or is there something deeper to their budding love?
5. Do you believe that Lanny ever loved Adair? Why do you think she was so drawn to a scheming madman?
6. How did you react to the violent tendencies of the members of Adair's household? Consider Lanny's first night in the mansion, the abductions of the local Bostonians, and the bizarre sexual proclivities of the immortal house-goers. Do you believe there might have been a secret society of hedonists living in Boston during this period?
7. The traveling priest, later revealed to be a member of Adair's flock, recognizes a spiritual unease and some inherent wildness deep within Lanore's soul. Do you think he was right? Was Lanny, to some extent, wicked? How do you explain her actions in the chambers in Boston, or her initial involvement in Sophia's death? Are her choices that of someone trying to take control of her life or someone losing control of herself?
8. On her return trip to St. Andrew, Lanore encounters Magda, the town whore. Magda warns Lanore, "…don't fall in love with your gentleman. We women make our worst decisions when we are in love." Do you believe this to be true? Could Lanore have been saved from her complicated fate if she wasn't so in love with Jonathan? Why do you think Lanore was drawn to Magda in the first place?
9. Do you think Luke made the right decision in leaving St. Andrew behind for a life with Lanny in Paris? What of his obligations to his family? Do you agree with his decision regarding the fabled vial?
10. Were you surprised by Adair's true identity? Do you believe Lanny's plan to trap the physic worked?
11. After everything Lanny had told Luke about the fantastical and magical, do you think there was some greater significance to the vision of his mother momentarily rising from the dead?
12. The story's narrative unfolds in three different time periods, following three distinct characters. Which of the three was your favorite to read, and why? Who did you feel the most sympathy for?
13. Why do you think the author chose to title this book, The Taker? Are there multiple "takers" in the story? If so, who are they? What does Lanny take from Adair, Jonathan, and Luke? What does she give them?
14. Did Jonathan ever truly love Lanore? Did he have such a capacity? How would you characterize Lanny's feelings for Jonathan? Is it love or obsession?
15. At the heart of The Taker is a fairytale about a woman coming into her own. As Lanny eventually explains, alchemy is an effort to transform the person into something more pure, self-assured, and strong. Compare Lanny's story to other well-known fables, like Pinocchio, Snow White, Cinderella, or any of Aesop's valued lessons. What similarities do you see? What sort of classic temptations are placed before Lanore, and what is it that she ultimately takes away from her endless trial of self?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
top of page (summary)