oppressiveness

McDermott’s writing is often called “gemlike,” but that speaks to pressure as much as prettiness, as Tricia navigates war, marital strife and the increasing oppressiveness of the crowd of military wives that surrounds her.

“Close” is about a lot of things — the joy of friendship, the heartache of separation and the oppressiveness of masculine stereotypes — but what it’s mostly about is the nature of its characters’ silence.

But while you see the bondage, oppressiveness and constant threat of violence, you seldom feel them in any powerful way.

When I was there, a thriller was being filmed in the museum, and it added to the oppressiveness to be chased from room to room by the film crew who needed one gallery, then another.

That’s likely intentional, since the paintings are so attuned to the oppressiveness of interior spaces.