Matrix (Groff novel)

Matrix is a historical novel by American author Lauren Groff, published by Riverhead Books on September 7, 2021.

Matrix

First edition cover
Author	Lauren Groff
Audio read by	Adjoa Andoh
Language	English
Genre	Historical novel
Set in	England in the 12th century
Publisher	Riverhead Books
Publication date	September 7, 2021
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback), e-book, audiobook
Pages	272
ISBN	978-1-59463-449-9 (First edition hardcover)
OCLC	1224045534
Dewey Decimal	813/.6
LC Class	PS3607.R6344 M38 2021

Premise

Groff's fourth novel, Matrix is about a "seventeen-year-old Marie de France... sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey, its nuns on the brink of starvation and beset by disease." Alex Preston, writing in The Observer, described it as "a strange and poetic piece of historical fiction set in a dreamlike abbey, the fictional biography of a 12th-century mystic." Within the novel, Marie, whom Groff writes as a lesbian, turns around the abbey's fortunes and treats it as a quasi-mystical female separatist "utopia".

Summary

Marie de France is sent to a remote English abbey after being exiled from the French court. Upon her arrival, she discovers an impoverished community of nuns struggling with harsh conditions and a lack of purpose. Initially met with suspicion due to her noble background, Marie faces the challenge of earning the trust and respect of the women around her while addressing their grievances. The nuns, hesitant to accept her authority, doubt her motives and ability when she makes plans or implements reforms to improve their living conditions. This leads to tensions, particularly when her ideas clash with traditional practices.

Political pressure mounts as local lords and clergy attempt to exert control over the abbey. Marie must protect her community from exploitation and the external dangers posed by these men, navigating the treacherous political landscape. When famine and illness strike the region, the dire circumstances put her leadership to the test more. Resource allocation becomes critical, and Marie devises strategies to secure food, such as initiating trades and foraging.

Marie develops close bonds with some of the nuns, especially a young girl named Pippa. However, the dynamics of these relationships become complicated as jealousy and rivalry emerge, challenging her ability to maintain harmony within the convent. Throughout her tenure, she battles feelings of isolation and self-doubt, haunted by her past as a noblewoman and the sacrifices she has made.

The climax of her struggle comes when she confronts a bishop who threatens her authority. In a pivotal moment, she asserts herself to protect the abbey's independence. Marie evolves into a confident and visionary leader, transforming the abbey into a thriving community where women support each other and cultivate their talents amid a challenging historical context.

Reception

Matrix received very favorable reviews, with a cumulative "Rave" rating at the review aggregator website Book Marks, based on 31 book reviews from mainstream literary critics. The novel debuted at number eleven on The New York Times fiction best-seller list for the week ending September 11, 2021. Publishers Weekly, in its starred review, praised Groff's "boldly original narrative" and her "transcendent prose and vividly described settings" for bringing to life "historic events, from the Crusades to the papal interdict of 1208." Publishers Weekly concluded, "Groff has outdone herself with an accomplishment as radiant as Marie's visions." In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Groff's trademarkworthy sentences bring vivid buoyancy to a magisterial story."

However, historians of medieval women were more critical of the novel, with a review in Nursing Clio critiquing the book's "clichés [which] make the medieval world of the novel feel both more artificial and more distant from the present than it might" and its "bleak and stagnant medievalisms".

It was selected for The Washington Post's "10 Best Books of 2021" list. Former United States President Barack Obama named Matrix one of his favorite books of 2021.

Awards

Matrix was shortlisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

See also

• Hild (2013), a novel by Nicola Griffith, also featuring a tall heroic woman as protagonist, a fictionalisation of the early life of the historic abbess Hilda of Whitby. Groff's Matrix shares similarities with Hild, including strong women's communities, dynamic leadership by a powerful female figure and an association between lesbian sex and medieval dairy work.
• Agatha of Little Neon (2021), a nun-focused novel published around the same time as Matrix