This exceptional book is hard to describe – a stream-of-consciousness memoir, perhaps, featuring electrifying honesty. There are questions like why does she write? There are letters to a silent sister. And there is profound melancholy when acknowledging the suicides of her father and sister (Page 31: “I was crazy with grief, guilt and dread”). But there are very funny excerpts about a European trip in 1988, and hilarious observations about the current domestic life in her multi-generational Toronto home. Bottom line- this is a powerful story that is both heart wrenching and joyful, in other words, Ms. Toews at her best.
Category: Genre
Pick A Colour – Souvankham Thammavongsa
Remarkably, this first novel has been Giller short-listed. Importantly, there is much left unsaid in this accounting of a single day in a Nail Salon in an unnamed city. The three manicurists speak an unnamed language that allows them to talk and gossip freely about their clients. The owner Ning is an self-contained observer, so there is a seductive intimacy to common events. Overall, masterful writing as one might anticipate from a former Giller winner for short stories (How To Pronounce Knife).
Lullabies For Little Criminals – Heather O’Neill
This is Ms. O’Neill’s first novel, written almost 20 years ago and winner of Canada Reads in 2007. Baby is a 12-13-year-old girl living in Montreal with her single father Jules who is entirely irresponsible. Thus, O’Neill captures the exuberance of youth, with some breathtaking bad choices and the absolute lack of a moral compass. This is really a story of a life on the street, completely without self pity. Be advised: this is a gritty story with danger and extreme cruelties, and some sickening realities of feral children and their reckless decisions. A must read.
Valentine in Montreal – Heather O’Neill
This exquisite story was created first as weekly installments in the Montreal Gazette. Valentine was orphaned at age 7 and raised by her grandmother in an apartment connected to the Montreal Metro system. Now age 24, she works at a Berri-UQAM depanneur. A chance encounter with her doppelganger leads to an adventure with the Russian mafia, a composer and a ballet dancer, and even a musical cricket, and there are stops at Metro stations. O’Neill’s fabulous prose creates a fable-like atmosphere, with beautiful illustrations by daughter Arizona.
The Paris Express – Emma Donoghue
In 1895, the Paris Express train begins a 7-hour trip to Paris. Donoghue writes with impeccable detail about the operation of the train but also about the passengers in first- second- and third-class carriages separated by wealth and status. What if an anarchist with a bomb is one of the passengers? Is this train rushing to a catastrophe? So the story shifts from historical fiction to become a thriller. Thus, a story that is impossible to stop reading – highly recommended.
The Book Of Records – Madeleine Thien
Full disclosure: this magnificent book is difficult to describe and, for me, a challenge to read but it is a totally rewarding experience. First, there is Ms. Thien’s exquisite writing. And second, the story is a blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Most of the book takes place in The Sea, an enclave for people in transition, on the way to a “better” place. Lina arrives at age 7 from China with her ailing father, and experiences a fluidity of time with other residents who represent the poet Du Fu, the philosopher Spinoza, and the writer Hannah Arendt. So there is storytelling with sublime writing about such diverse topics as lens grinding (Spinoza) and a breath-taking escape from Europe by Hannah in 1941. So, accept a challenge to read about philosophy – you will be richly rewarded.
People Of The Book – Geraldine Brooks
In 1996, an Australian rare book conservator travels to Bosnia to inspect the Sarajevo Haggadah, a 500-year-old book with illuminated Hebrew text. The history of the book is presented as historical fiction: creation in Spain in the late 15th century, rebinding in Vienna in 1844, and preservation from Nazis in World War II. Importantly, there are critical roles for Muslims and Catholics in the history of this book. Mysteries are revealed, with a backdrop of contemporary intrigue. Overall, very entertaining.
Midnight and Blue – Ian Rankin
Amazingly, this is the 25th Rebus novel! The arc of the Rebus character is fascinating, from a detective willing to bend or break rules to a retired Edinburgh cop willing to meddle. Now Rebus is in prison for an attempted murder, and what a surprise, there is the brutal murder of an inmate in a locked cell. And also, a missing persons case is investigated by police colleagues which reveals secrets and rivalries. Simply put, this is a delicious crime thriller by a master writer.
The Blue Hour – Paula Hawkins
By the acclaimed author of The Girl On The Train, this new psychological thriller about art has complex and often toxic relationships with a shifting female friendship confronting the power and entitlement of the patriarchy (aka the art establishment), with a web of lies and secrets and yes, infidelities. Key events occur on a Scottish island isolated from the mainland by the tide and severe weather. Suffice it to say that there is missing art and a missing person and much more. Can neediness by pathological? Surprises persist right to the end of the book which makes for a very entertaining read.
What David Read 