The Underpainter
ABOUT
THE BOOK
The Underpainter tells the story of Austin Fraser, an American minimalist painter now in his fifties, who, after receiving a letter concerning a woman he knew long ago, finds himself surrounded by his past. He is haunted by those whose lives became inextricably linked with his: a young Canadian soldier and china painter; a First World War nurse; the well-known painter Rockwell Kent; and the beautiful, self-sufficient Sara Pengelly, who became Austin’s model and then his mistress. Spanning decades, the story moves from upstate New York to the north shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Superior; from France during World War I to New York City in the 1920s and ‘30s – leading to the novel’s startling climactic moments. Jane Urquhart was born in Ontario and has published poetry, short stories, and novels. She has won several prizes for her work and was short listed for the 1996 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. She served on the panel of judges for the 1997 Award.
