The Milliners' Tale

Sisters Ann Eliza and Evelina Bunner operate a millinery shop in a poor neighbourhood in New York City. They spend their days manning the shop, attending to the handful of customers, and making paper flowers and other adornments. Living in a small room at the back of the shop, the two sisters have a very small social   circle and are well on their way to spinsterhood. 

Ann Eliza purchases a lovely clock for her sister's birthday and, in doing so, the sisters befriend Mr Ramy, the clockmaker. Mr Ramy visits the sisters regularly and takes them on outings to Central Park and to visit in a friend of his in Hoboken. Ramy is not particularly attractive or charismatic, but he awakens in the sisters an awareness of how dull and monotonous their lives had become. As Ramy becomes closer to the sisters, a wedge is formed between the two women and their relationship changes irrevocably.

Written in 1892 (published 1916 in Xingu and Other Stories) Edith Wharton's novella showcases the lives of those at the poorer end of the social spectrum. Wharton evokes the era perfectly and is able to capture the desires of the women, especially the secret passions of Ann Eliza. 

This is not a cheery, upbeat story. In fact it is downright depressing with these sisters living in poverty, squirrelling away their savings, trying to eke out a living in a basement shop in an undesirable location. What happens to them through their relationship with Ramy is so sad, but there is something about the resilience and determination in Ann Eliza that made this wonderful. Wharton's naturalistic style, the crispness of her prose and her understanding of female longing, come together to craft a brilliant, unforgettable novella. 

Wharton's The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence are among my favourite novels of all time. Bunner Sisters has reminded me of how much I love Wharton, and encouraged me to (re)read more of her work.