The Long Way Home

“This is my life, my problem, not yours. Do you think every damsel is in distress? Did I just become a problem to be solved? A weakling to be saved?”

Clara speaks these words when lashing out at Gamache. She is angry that after she confided in him about Peter’s disappearance, he immediately told others. Clara’s character is revealed in this quotation: she is independent, self-reliant, and likes to be in control. The quotation establishes a tension between Gamache and Clara that will resurface several times during the novel as they argue about who should be in control of the investigation. Clara also highlights the gender dynamic, challenging any notion that Gamache might expect to be in control because he is a man.

“This was a form of murder. Peter Morrow had tried to kill not his wife, but her creation. He’d clearly recognized a work of genius, and had tried to ruin it.”

This quotation reveals Gamache’s reflections when Clara tells him that Peter had been critical of some of her first portraits. Everyone who sees Clara’s portraits recognizes that she is a genius, so Peter’s criticism reflected his spite and jealousy. The language both reveals the gravity of Peter’s action, by comparing his criticism to murder, and highlights the theme of connections between creative jealousy and violence. Throughout the novel, there are hints that Peter’s disappearance might be linked to artistic rivalry, and this quotation foreshadows the motive behind Massey’s murder of Norman.

“‘But if he stayed in Three Pines he’d be fine.’ ‘Unless he had an appointment in Samarra.’”

This quotation is an exchange between Myrna and Clara as they grow increasingly anxious about Peter’s disappearance. Clara blames herself for anything bad that might have befallen Peter, while Myrna argues that, if something has happened to Peter, it may have been inevitable and fated. Myrna alludes to a fable by W. Somerset Maugham in which a character attempts to avoid death but fails to outrun his fate. The quotation helps to build an ominous mood around the search for Peter and heightens the suspense suggesting that, even while the investigators search for Peter, they know they cannot control what might have happened to him.

“This painting flaunted all the rules of art and most of the rules of common courtesy. It was a bad smell tacked to the wall.”

This quotation describes the paintings that Clara and Myrna encounter on Bean’s walls. The paintings become an important plot point as they eventually lead Gamache to realize that Peter has been in the Charlevoix region. They also become a symbol of how perceptions of art can shift. When the paintings are introduced, they are presented in a negative light, but later they will be reassessed. Penny uses an interesting sense-based metaphor, comparing a painting (something typically perceived through the sense of sight) to an unpleasant odor (perceived through the sense of smell) to highlight how visceral and grotesque the images are.

“Her paintings started off as a real mess. The worse her paintings looked at first, the better they seemed to turn out.”

This quotation reveals Clara’s reflections on her creative process and introduces the idea that there may be more to the paintings found in Bean’s room. Initially, everyone is dismissive of the paintings, finding them to be ugly and unskilled. However, Clara’s comment reveals that even her highly valued artworks start as unattractive. This comment foreshadows what will later be revealed: the seemingly grotesque paintings express Peter’s growth as an artist. The quotation also hints that what is true of paintings might also be true of people: it is never too late for someone to make a fresh start and improve.

“‘Too many layers of life,’ she continued. ‘His world was slipping away. He wanted to be rescued.’”

Ruth makes this comment during a discussion about why Peter chose to visit the art college and speak with his former professor. She uses a metaphor that links to an earlier discussion of how artists “rescue” their canvases when too many layers of paint have built up and the paint stops adhering cleanly to the canvas. After his separation from Clara, Peter was feeling a sense of crisis and confusion, just as an artist might feel when they survey an unsuccessful canvas. Peter wanted someone to rescue him by seeing the potential under the surface of confusion, and so he returned to his former college where professors had once seen this potential within him.

“Peter might kill someone else, but never himself. In fact, I take that back. He’s much more likely to be the victim than the killer.”

Ruth speaks these lines in response to the suggestion that Peter might have killed himself. Ruth insists that Peter would not kill himself but, by offering this reassurance, she raises two other sinister possibilities. She mentions that Peter might kill someone or be killed by someone, foreshadowing the threats that drive the plot of the novel forward. This quotation is one of many moments when Ruth is revealed as one of the most perceptive characters in the novel.

“Peter Morrow took no risks. He neither failed nor succeeded. There were no valleys, but neither were there mountains. Peter’s landscape was flat.”

This quotation shows Gamache pondering Peter’s art in contrast with Clara’s. The quotation uses imagery describing Peter’s artwork as a metaphor for Peter’s personality and interior world. Peter painted careful and meticulous images that were technically skilled but uninspiring. Likewise, he did not experience the full spectrum of emotions or appreciate his life. By comparing Peter’s inner state to a landscape, Gamache alludes to the landscape paintings that will be used to reveal Peter’s character.

“Sometimes the only way up is down. Sometimes the only way forward is to back up. It seemed that was what Peter had done. Thrown out all he knew and started again. In his mid-fifties.”

This quotation reflects Clara’s thoughts as she and the others realize that Peter had created the paintings hanging on Bean’s wall and thus that Peter had begun experimenting with a radically new style. The imagery of moving in the counter-direction hints at the subsequent revelation that while the group has now identified Peter’s paintings, they are still looking at them upside down. The idea of moving back in time also suggests that, although the paintings appear childish at first glance, they represent rebirth and a fresh start. By emphasizing Peter’s age as a man in his fifties, Clara also calls attention to how remarkable and brave it is for Peter to take such a risk.

“They were markers, signposts. Pointing out where he’d been and where he was going. The route he was traveling, artistically, emotionally, creatively.”

This quotation illuminates Gamache’s thoughts as he reflects on why Peter’s paintings are important to the investigation. The investigation is difficult because Gamache knows so little about what Peter was thinking and feeling during his time away from Three Pines. However, he now has a clue: Gamache uses the metaphor of calling the paintings markers and signposts. This quotation is also ironic because at this point Gamache thinks the paintings are symbolic maps of Peter’s emotions and motivation. He has not yet realized that the paintings are also literal signposts and clues to the locations Peter visited.

“The slashes of vivid color had become a wide and turbulent river. The bold red lips had become waves. What had appeared to be trees now became cliff faces.”

This quotation describes what happens when Gamache is inspired to turn Peter’s painting upside down and look at it from a new perspective. The image is revealed as an abstracted but still recognizable landscape, and it becomes the clue that leads Gamache and the others to investigate a new location. The quotation is significant because it marks a key turning point in the plot and an important step towards finding Peter. It also reveals the kind of careful logic that is part of Gamache’s investigation style and that will subsequently be important for uncovering the details of the crime. To arrive at the truth, Gamache often must look at things from a new angle.

“She’d wanted to find him, she wanted him to be safe. But she hadn’t been sure she wanted him back. But the more they discovered about Peter now, the more desperate she was to meet this man.”

This quotation reflects shifts in Clara’s feelings as the investigation progresses. In a cruel irony, Clara becomes more convinced that she and Peter could be happy together as she learns more about the changes he underwent during their time apart. It seems that Peter reinvented himself not only as an artist but as a man. Clara’s enthusiasm shows that, unlike her husband, she is someone who would take pride in her partner’s success.

“I would never, ever mock the power of love. But it can also distort. Slip over into desperation and delusion.”

Gamache makes this remark to Clara she insists on being in control of the investigation. Clara thinks that her love for Peter means she will have the best instincts about what to do and how to find him. Gamache responds with respect for her love, but he also points out that emotions can be distracting and destructive during an investigation, which requires reason, calculation, and strategy. The alliteration of the words “distort,” “desperation,” and “delusion” shows that all these concepts are connected to how Clara’s emotions might lead the investigation astray.

“And where was he now? Had he moved on, heading deeper into his own wound? Still searching?”

This passage occurs as Gamache and the others stand on the riverbank gazing at the scene that Peter depicted in his painting. The geography of the region is marked by an ancient meteorite, and the imagery of the quotation reflects a comparison between the geographic scar on the landscape and Peter’s psychological wounds. The language of the quotation reflects the themes of Peter’s wandering, searching, and restless movement from place to place.

“What Gagnon did for landscapes, you do for people. Their face, their skin, their veneer is there for the outside world. But you also paint their interiors.”

In this quotation, Marcel praises Clara, comparing her to the famous Canadian landscape painter Clarence Gagnon. Marcel notes that Clara captures the inner world of her subjects when she paints them. The quotation is significant because it reflects the important theme of visual art in the novel and Penny’s attempts to evoke a visual medium using language. The quotation is also ironic because Clara can capture and depict the psychology of some individuals but, as the plot reveals, she sometimes strongly misreads and misunderstands people. 

“Madness spilled from the portrait. Uncontrollable, unharnessed. Something chained had broken free.”

This quotation occurs when Gamache looks at the painting signifying Norman in the art school’s yearbook. The portrait is a grotesque and frightening image of a man, and Gamache assumes it is a self-portrait. The quotation is significant because it reveals a moment when Gamache is partially correct and partially mistaken, leading the investigation down a dangerously false path. Gamache is correct that the man depicted in the portrait is dangerous and capable of violence, but he incorrectly assumes the portrait depicts Norman rather than Massey. Had Gamache not made this error, the investigation might have ended differently. 

“While he absorbed the fact of her presence, it meant nothing to him. Far from feeling he’d lost something, he once again was reminded of all he’d found. In Annie.”

This quotation occurs when Jean-Guy is asking questions at the local bistro in Baie-Saint-Paul and notices an attractive server looking at him. The quotation offers insight into Jean-Guy’s character, revealing his deep love and fidelity toward his wife. He has no regrets about being committed to his wife, and he focuses on all the happiness his marriage has brought him. The quotation is thematically significant because, in contrast to Clara and Peter’s strained relationship, Jean-Guy feels only love and loyalty towards Annie.

“I think if Peter’s courage holds and he keeps exploring, he’ll be like few others. Van Gogh, Picasso, Vermeer, Gagnon. Clara Morrow. Creating a whole new form, one that doesn’t distinguish between thought and emotion. […] Peter will be among the greats.”

Marcel speaks these words, predicting what could happen if Peter continues to explore his newfound artistic freedom. The quotation is significant because it shows that Peter’s time away from Three Pines has been transformative for him and has allowed him to reach a new stage of artistic development. The quotation also reveals a characteristic of what seems to distinguish great art from art that is merely technically skilled: bringing together reason and emotion. Peter needed to learn to be fully present with his emotions to be able to produce great art.

“He had the talent, the brains. But he was riddled with fear. And so he kept going over the same territory, over and over again. As though Lewis and Clark had gotten to Kansas, then turned back and started over. […] Mistaking movement for progress.”

Ruth speaks these words, reflecting on her perceptions of Peter. Ruth respected Peter’s potential, but she did not think he would be able to achieve great success as he was too risk-averse. Ruth’s criticism is significant because she is a successful poet, who has a good understanding of the creative process, and she is also a perceptive judge of character. To illustrate her point, Ruth alludes to two notable American explorers who mapped significant portions of the western United States. Since exploring uncharted geography is inherently risky, Ruth alludes to risk-taking as necessary for any significant achievement.

“It felt as though they were approaching the past. A primordial forest so lush and green and unspoiled it could not possibly exist in the age of space travel, cell phones, Botox.”

This quotation reveals the shifting setting of the novel, as Gamache and his companions sail down the St. Lawrence River, towards the place where it meets the ocean. They are moving into a more brutal and foreboding landscape as the plot becomes more brutal and foreboding. The imagery of this quotation juxtaposes an ancient and untamed setting with the contemporary world, highlighting a place where primitive emotions like rage and jealousy can lead to violent acts.

“Asbestos turned out to be the thalidomide of building materials. A savior that killed.”

This quotation occurs once Gamache and his companions learn that tubes containing asbestos were found buried under the site of the abandoned artists’ colony. The quotation uses a metaphor comparing asbestos to another scientific innovation. Thalidomide is a drug that was prescribed to many pregnant women as a treatment for morning sickness but eventually caused severe birth deformities. The metaphor highlights a comparison between two seemingly beneficial scientific developments that had disastrous consequences to indicate the need for caution. The quotation is also significant because it reflects the theme of mistaken assumptions leading to fatal errors; many people believed that asbestos and thalidomide were safe, and this mistake caused tragedies. Likewise, Gamache believes, until it is too late, that Norman is a dangerous person, and he overlooks the true killer.

“That was what he’d needed to do with this case. Turn it around. They’d presumed so many things. Made so many conclusions fit the facts. But they actually had it upside down.”

This quotation comes from Gamache’s moment of realization that Massey, not Norman, is the killer. The language provides a thematic connection to Gamache’s earlier error about Peter’s paintings. It was not until he turned them upside down that he could see the clue. Likewise, he has been looking at the information about Massey and Norman from the wrong perspective, and this has blinded him to important evidence. 

“There was the face from the portrait. Filled with hate, for those who had what he did not. Not a canvas filled with paint, but a home, and friends and people who cared about the man more than the work.”

These lines reveal Gamache’s thoughts during the final confrontation with Massey at the cabin. The quotation reveals the true reason why Masset became warped and dangerous. He was not merely jealous of people who had true artistic talent, but he was also lonely, alienated, and embittered. This quotation is important because it points to the message that people might be able to have happy lives without achieving remarkable success, but they do need a sense of community and love in their lives.