A gothic body horror story

 Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum

Helpmeet – A woman who serves, also could refer to a nurse. The word “helpmeet” has both subservient and religious connotations, but also expresses a kind of strength and power, especially in the face of struggles, challenges, or supporting men to overcome obstacles. I was not aware of this term prior to reading Naben Ruthnum’s excellent and understated short novel of the same name. I can see how the title relates to Louise Wilk, the wife and last caretaker of her dying husband Dr. Edward Wilk. We do not know much about these two as the book opens, but this slow burn in a short book gradually reveals some of their backstory—how they met (at the hospital where Louise was a nurse), issues that others observed in their relationship (mostly objections from Louise’s brother), and the degenerative wasting disease that is gradually eating Edward from the inside, which has forced Louise to be his caretaker. I really appreciated the spartan aspects of this book. It was a quick read, and I liked not getting too in depth with these characters, slowly learning what happened to Edward as we witness his eventual decay. The settings in New York and Buffalo, moving from the city to an abandoned country home, evoke a kind of eerie folk or gothic horror that happens in stories from the past. I kept thinking about Gillman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and how the deteriorating wallpaper mirrored the gradual decay of the narrator’s mind. Interestingly, though, Louise becomes more powerful as Edward gradually decays, eventually having the opportunity to “take on” more of Edward’s past. Furthermore, unlike the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Edward, a doctor and presumed authority at this time, is the one who is relegated to infirmity and gradually decays as a result of his actions and desires. It was a kind of interesting reversal to read. Women in the book take on an important role, and both Louise and other women in the book. This book also really resonated with me as a caregiver for a dying parent. Although my experience caring for my father dying was different from Louise, I think that Helpmeet captures some of the conflicted emotions and somewhat wishful (delusional) thinking I experienced as my dad was dying. Although they cannot identify the cause of Edward’s illness, he knows and eventually reveals the cause. Louise comes to further understand as well. Yet, she remains hopeful and caring throughout. One of the best parts of the book was the body horror and descriptions of the decay. While they were pretty gross, they were also poetic and descriptive (and incredibly inventive). Ruthnum’s effective descriptions helped me to witness Edward’s decay as it progressed through his body, taking various parts of him. There is a part when Louise and Edward board the train, and the gauze covering Edward’s skinless body flies off, sticking to the window’s condensation—I forget the exact wording, but Ruthnum describes the pus and blood as a something like a sunburst, which I loved that he is able to find beauty in this kind of decay and destruction. I’d like to revisit this book because I feel like there are more layers to explore and understand.