In The Most by Jessica Anthony, the story revolves around Kathleen Beckett, formerly Lovelace, who finds herself swimming in a small pool in the middle of her apartment complex. On a sunny, unseasonably warm day in November 1957, while Sputnik 2 rockets into space, her husband, Virgil, reluctantly carts their sons to church by himself. Meanwhile, Kathleen just floats, simply existing, indifferent to the world around her. Her boys feel that something is off, but they’re too young to fully understand the situation. Elderly neighbors watch her from their balconies, curious yet filled with disapproval. Virgil is both puzzled and angry, trying to figure out what’s happening.
The book, though seemingly simple, is a riveting piece of midcentury domestic drama that unfolds over that one fateful day. Jessica Anthony delivers a tightly-wound narrative that captures the intensity of the moment. The novel feels like a bite of historical literary fiction that sticks with you long after you put it down. It’s another five-star read in the collection, offering a compelling glimpse into the lives of a family struggling with unspoken tensions and emotional weight. It’s a unique and fascinating read that I couldn’t have put down if I tried.
Kathleen’s Parallel Lives
In The Most, Kathleen lives two parallel lives — the one she currently leads and wishes she’d been brave enough to pursue. Long before she decided to stay in the pool, she had a chance at an adventurous life. As a teen a forbidden romance, she is a professional tennis player with a successful career, and the opportunity to travel internationally. But after meeting Virgil in college, she chose the safer path. It’s a decision she feels proud of and regrets at the same time. She feels that maybe she couldn’t win, but she wouldn’t lose either, reasoning that by not going after her dreams, she can’t fail. She just can’t lose a game she’s not playing in. Despite her fierce competitiveness with other athletes on the court, it’s the same drive that ends up crippling her ambitions.
Living with the Ghost of What Could Have Been
In The Most by Jessica Anthony, the protagonist goes through major life milestones, such as getting married, buying a house, and leaving her hometown. However, everything she does is always compared to the life she could have had. In her alternate universe, her self is competing at Wimbledon, travelling to Australia, and marrying a man she’s been passionately in love with for half of her life. She’s left with the feeling of resigned acceptance, haunted by the ghost of the life she chose not to live. Forever hovering over her shoulder, just out of focus. It’s a powerful reflection on how we can never go back to the past, no matter how much we might wish to.
Tennis as a Literary Motif
In The Most by Jessica Anthony, tennis plays a major role as a literary motif, shaping the story’s structure and mirroring the relationship between Virgil and Kathleen. Their interactions are compared to a match, with each chapter bouncing back and forth between their recollections of their present life together and their individual pre-marriage experiences. There’s a rhythm to their conversations, almost like a tennis game — questions and observations that Kathleen wonders about, things she might not have the courage to ask Virgil, are later answered from his perspective, and the cycle repeats vice versa. These dynamics unfold much like a serve, groundstroke, or volley, where each emotional exchange seems to lead into another, reflecting the back-and-forth nature of their relationship.
Personal Quirks and Contrasts
Their personal quirks add an interesting layer to the narrative. Kathleen talks about how she hates Elvis, but Virgil loves him, and she’s often dragged to watch his movies for his sake. Virgil, in turn, later admits that he feels the same way but about Elvis in reverse. Moments of tension arise, like Kathleen feeling elation at fitting into her college bathing suit again, while Virgil has revulsion at its old-fashioned style and worn, see-through material. These tiny contrasts in their perspectives are like a lob or drop shot, lighthearted yet impactful, showing how their differences sometimes make their connection stronger.
A Brilliant Short Novel
In Jessica Anthony’s novel, marriage is portrayed as a conversation between two people, almost like a rally where unspoken words carry the most weight. The book brilliantly focuses on what’s left out — the things that are not said, not explained, and often ignored. This makes it feel real, as the unsaid parts of a relationship often define it the most. The short length of the novel works for it in many ways, though it also left me wanting more, craving more of Anthony’s writing. I felt as if there was so much to explore, and the novel’s concise format only made me wish for more of her rich, insightful style.
If you’re not familiar with tennis, you might miss the subtle play on words in the final paragraph, but it’s an ace of a novel. Anthony’s sharp wit and clever commentary feel like the perfect game. The comparison of reading the novel to being a ball boy — rushing to the library for more — makes it clear how thrilling and enjoyable the experience is. It’s a match made in heaven, perfectly constructed with a little but powerful substance. Every page feels like a game, making you want to sprint to the next chapter.
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