''The Underpainter'' is a novel by

Jane Urquhart Jane Urquhart, LL.D (born June 21, 1949) is a Canadian novelist and poet. She is the internationally acclaimed author of seven award-winning novels, three books of poetry and numerous short stories. As a novelist, Urquhart is well known for her e ...

that won the 1997 Governor General's Award for English-language fiction, and in the same year was a finalist for the

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers. A ...

. The story takes place mainly in Canada and the United States in the early years of the 20th century. The main character and narrator, Austin Fraser (the "underpainter" of the title) is a successful artist, and the plot mostly concerns his relationship with a waitress he uses as a model and how his art reflects his dislike for human contact.Marlene Goldman, Review of ''The Underpainter'', ''Canadian Literature: a Quarterly of Criticism and Review'' (Summer/Autumn 1999)
Accessed 11 May 2013 Fraser meets the waitress, Sara Pengelly, when he leaves his native USA to spend the summer in Silver Islet Landing; but he declines to form a permanent attachment to her, finding her an embarrassment on the rare occasions they meet her outside her normal environment. The book begins as Fraser, now an old man, hears of Sara's death. The remainder of the narrative deals with his past history. Fraser's only real friend, George Kearns, a painter of ceramics, commits suicide in 1937, along with his lover, Augusta, after they have confided in Fraser about their experiences during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Fraser, who is present in the house and finds the couple dead, is moved by the experience. He returns to Silver Islet, hoping for comfort from Sara, only to reject her at the last moment.

References

1997 Canadian novels Novels by Jane Urquhart Governor General's Award-winning fiction books Canadian historical novels {{Canada-novel-stub