“Mrs Van Gogh” by Caroline Cauchi

“Mrs Van Gogh” by Caroline Cauchi is the first book that I read in 2024. In fact, it was a Christmas gift that I got at the gift exchange from my father-in-law. I both liked it and disliked it.

“Mrs Van Gogh” covers the life of Johanna Bonger, the wife of Theo van Gogh and a sister-in-law to Vincent van Gogh. Specifically, it focuses on the two years that she was a part of their lives until the brothers passed away. Generally, Johanna Bonger is credited as a woman who popularized van Gogh as an artist and helped him to become known worldwide.

The story starts with Johanna arriving to Paris to live with her brother after she was banished from the Netherlands by her parents for having an affair with a writer while not being married. Johanna’s parents would like her to be married by the end of the summer to cover for the scandal and her brother decides to take matters into his own hands by finding a suitor in Paris before she is wed to someone twice her age. Since he is close to the art world and has a lot of artist friends, he introduces Johanna to the van Gogh brothers and the story starts from there.

The book gives us an impression that Johanna and the two brothers were stuck in the love triangle but I don’t know to what extent this is based on facts. I both liked her character in the book and found it strange. She seems to be a progressive woman for the times she lives in but her speech and the way she talks correspond to someone from the 21st century. She seems to want to be an artist and someone independent but then also can’t make up her mind about what she would like to do or is unsure if she wants to be a mother. Also, I found that the book was going often in circles – Theo and Johanna would get a letter from Vincent informing them of some sort of self-harm that he did and they would rush to help. A few chapters later – the same story would repeat. I found this repetitive and slightly lacking momentum.

Overall, it was an interesting piece of fiction because I learned a bit more about van Gogh’s brothers and their story but I did not love the way it was written. Here is the quote that stood out for me though:

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“How am I only now realizing that women are controlled by a fear of being branded with either of these words? To be marked ‘ugly’ or ‘difficult’ brings judgment, discomfit, and rejection too – and so what do we do? We women step in accordance with male expectations and demands. Those words forever whispered: a threat, to shoot fear into our actions and decisions.
But why is “ugly” seen as bad? Why is being “difficult” considered wicked? Are those words not merely concepts that are entirely indefinable? Perception even. Still those words are used as weapons.”

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If you like art, this book might be of interest but generally, it is not a strong recommendation.