Short Story Cycle: Girl in Hyacinth Blue

I recently reread Girl in Hyacinth Blue, by Susan Vreeland (Penguin Books, 2000), to explore the short story cycle structure, which is composed of separate but interconnected stories. Girl in Hyacinth Blue traces the provenance and creation of a painting, which may or may not have been painted by Vermeer.

Vreeland masterfully executed the short story cycle, but it took more than just following a structure template. Below, I examine the structure and some other writing-craft techniques that contributed to this beautifully written historical novel. As a writer, you can learn a lot by reading critically and taking the time to dissect what you like and why it works.

Structure

• Though each story could stand alone, they have a greater impact as part of the group, which is a hallmark of the short story structure.

• Each chapter has a complete arc—a clear beginning, middle, and end.

• The book begins in the present with each chapter going back in time to the seventeenth century. However, the timeline varies in the last chapter to wrap up the book.

Plot

• Each chapter has its own plot, which also fits into the greater plot of the creation and life of the painting.

• With each chapter, readers learn not only how the main characters relate to the painting itself but also the effects of their actions on others.

Character Development

• The novel includes a wide range of fully realized characters: men and women, teens to middle-aged, poor to rich.

• The main characters have faults, keep secrets from themselves and others, and reveal important truths about human nature. Each goes through a full character arc within the confines of a chapter. Vreeland establishes their current life and way of thinking, what the painting means to them, the choices they make because of it, and how they, or others, must live with those consequences.

• The central character in each vignette is not a person; it is the painting. Each character interprets the painting differently, and the true nature of its meaning and origin comes to light in the end.

Tone

• Another reason these stories hang together so well is the consistency of Vreeland’s tone across the book, which is quiet and meditative.

• Though the tone is consistent, each character has a distinct voice.

Themes

• Vreeland explores a universal question about the place of art and beauty in life: Is art frivolous compared to our basic human needs, or is it essential to the well-being of our souls?

• Art has the power to impact viewers for hundreds of years and in ways the artist never could anticipate. Viewers project themselves and their perceptions onto a work of art and form deep connections, which can influence their choices in life.

• People can lose sight of their priorities and betray their duties to themselves, their family, their community, and humanity. Conversely, Vreeland explores how people can call upon their strength to make great sacrifices of love.

• No matter how well you know someone, many aspects of their interior life are hidden unless they choose to share them with you. Vreeland explores this theme in the context of both family and romantic relationships.