I've always been irritated by the fact that all anyone ever remembers about The Graduate is the seduction of the protagonist by the archetypal Older Woman Mrs Robinson.While of course this is a pivotal aspect of the story, the book and film have so much more to say about alienation and obsession.I reread the novel recently and was particularly taken by its anti-consumerist stance, especially given it was published in 1963, before the ideas it presented became truly trendy. These themes are picked up again in Home School, which stands alone as a well-conceived continuation of the lives of the characters first introduced in The Graduate 44 years ago.The book is set 11 years after the tumultuous events of that novel.Ben and Elaine are still together and now have two young boys whom they are teaching at home so that they don't have to go through the educational system that Ben is still chafing against.
Home School is a fine example of Webb's droll style and ability to record the minutia of life we cling to in stressful times; the arguments while making coffee or brushing teeth, the need to maintain the quotidian while our lives threaten to fall apart.The story takes some surprising turns and I had a strong sense that these characters mean as much to Webb now as to the young man who wrote the first novel so many years ago.Certainly there is a youthful vigour in the writing, and the book is at times laugh out loud funny.
This is not some pointless cash-in sequel, but a fine and mature novel that complements its predecessor but can be read without any knowledge of what went before.
And yes, Ben and the marvellously monstrous Mrs Robinson have a rather interesting trip down memory lane that brings the novel to a deeply satisfying conclusion.
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