THE FIRST LADY & THE WRITER, PROVINCETOWN 1961

Pizzo’s novella re-creates a day in Provincetown, Massachusetts, when Jackie Kennedy visited writer Gore Vidal.

Based on a paragraph from a 1961 newspaper, this short novel imagines a moment in history when the First Lady took the day off and met novelist and essayist Gore Vidal at his hotel in Provincetown. They were already friends, and also relatives, as they shared a stepfather. Gore was born at West Point and had a senator grandfather while Jackie was raised in polite Manhattan society and the Merrywood Estate in Virginia before attending Vassar. If America has landed gentry, they were members of it, though both characters come across as possible proponents of egalitarianism. Importantly, this day comes two years before Gore wrote a critical piece about Robert F. Kennedy in Esquire, after which Jackie never spoke to him again. In Provincetown, Jackie and Gore stroll to town and have a seafood pasta dinner. They discuss the White House renovations, the Kennedys’ meeting with Khrushchev (“Do you know Khrushchev sent the children a puppy?”), and a dinner at Versailles with Charles de Gaulle. For his part, Gore reminisces about family friend Amelia Earhart and talks about his current chums, such as Tennessee Williams. Between the two of them, they seem to know everyone, and the cool sophistication they possess comes across as refreshing rather than snobbish. For Jackie, this was a fun day away from the kids, while for Gore it was possibly his final encounter with Jackie before being shut out completely. Pizzo’s story, built around a single news item, is heavily researched and told in a way that seems more than plausible. Great care was taken to convey what Jackie’s early history and life at that time were like, and the voice used for her thoughts is convincing. Less time is spent on Gore, but the author deftly captures his lofty intellectualism, catty wit, and dislike of Truman Capote. Both were from privileged backgrounds but still had their problems, and reading about each in the company of a close friend is intriguing.

An enjoyable trip back in time with two fascinating people from politics and letters that rings true historically.