Makenna Goodman's novel Helen of Nowhere follows Man, a university professor whose marriage and career collapse, prompting a quest for a simpler, nature-focused life. The book explores themes of misogyny, power, and the pursuit of ethical living.
Man, a self-proclaimed lover of women, is fired from his job for views incompatible with the university and abandoned by his wife, Wife, who was once his student. He retreats to the countryside, seeking a house owned by the mysterious Helen, a woman who lived self-sufficiently and is now in a care home.
The narrative shifts between Man, Realtor, Helen, and Wife, dexterously examining binaries such as doing versus taking, individual versus community, and masculine versus feminine. Goodman avoids simple moral judgments, asking whether personal pleasure can coexist with ethical responsibility.
Through Man's attempts to embrace transcendentalism, the novel critiques the contradictions of seeking simplicity through privilege. It questions the reliance on others for a 'good' life and the nature of knowledge itself, making it a perfect fairytale for our times.
