The Briar Club

Content Warning: This section of the guide features depictions of domestic violence, psychological abuse, anti-gay bias, suicide, and murder.

In a novel set during the decade in which fear of communism reached its peak, The Briar Club emphasizes how communal activities allow various individuals to find support and overcome their differences. Initially, the narrative shows the tenants of Briarwood House living in their isolated worlds. A communist then enters their midst and establishes community-mindedness. Grace has no conscious intention of introducing communist political ideology into her dealings with her fellow housemates. However, she establishes the rule of the Briar Club dinners by asking each tenant to bring one can of food to the gathering as the price of admission. Her years of starvation in Leningrad have left her with the tendency to stockpile canned goods in her apartment. Aside from that, each tenant’s contribution creates a connection with Grace and their fellow Briar Club members.

Through the Briar Club, the tenants create Finding Support and Overcoming Differences in a Circle of Friends. Although the author structures the novel to tell the isolated story of one individual in each of its parts, the narrative depicts a slow but steady progression from insularity to community.