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Gotta Find Me an Angel |
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This
is a lively novel about lesbian relationships in which the words
gay and lesbian do not appear. This lack of sexual identity propaganda
is refreshing. The heroine is in her mid-thirties and still grieving the
loss of her first love, a girl named Madeline, whose spirit visits one
dark night. Sadness is often dispelled with humour, and character descriptions
are sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, like fiona perks, the lower-case novelist,
described as "the songstress of her own mind." There is a continuous send-up
of the catty literary community, full of wonderful literary parties, where
snarkiness is honed to a new level of ferocity. This novel is full of
very memorable characters.
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The City Man |
There isn't a wasted word in this wonderful depiction of Depression-era Toronto. Eli is a reporter who has just returned from a medical leave of absence. After meeting Mona, he becomes interested in the Jewish underworld of Toronto and the pickpockets who work Union Station. |
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Mona is a stall who slows down a potential victim so that her partner, Chesler, known as 'cannon', can pick his pocket. Eli and Mona begin a romance, which all of her friends predict will end badly. Using Mona as an anonymous informant, Eli writes articles that capture the imagination of readers, and spark the interest of the police. The vernacular of the professional pickpocket is given in precise detail. Reading this book is like attending a black and white period movie, perhaps one of the Thin Man series, where sly tough guys abound, and the "dame" is smart, glamorous and dangerous. |
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The Sad Truth About Happiness |
Giardini, the daughter of CanLit icon
Carol Shields, presents a truly delightful novel about the endless
lifetime entanglements of family loyalty and love. Maggie, a thirtyish
radiation technologist in Toronto, is independent, between
relationships, and has an inquisitive mind.Her roommate Rebecca, who
devises quizzes for magazines, comes up with one she is sure can
predict the date of a person's death, if they answer honestly.
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Maggie
takes the quiz several times, and each result predicts her death before
her next birthday. It seems that Maggie must become much happier in
her remaining months or the prediction will come true. Complications
arise when Maggie's younger sister Lucy returns from a job in Italy,
pregnant and distraught that her married Italian lover has abandoned
her. But her wealthy lover and his wife appear soon after she gives
birth, seeking custody. Maggie snatches the baby and goes on the lam
with the new born. How all the problems work out including Maggie
finding a possible life partner, is best left unexplained. The cast of
characters is fabulous, the writing brilliant, the story quirky with
just the perfect number of twists.
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Three Day Road |
In 1919, Niska, a Cree medicine woman, ventures into
civilization to retrieve one of two boys she reluctantly sent to war.
Xavier Bird is a mere shadow of his former self; he has lost a leg, is
addicted to morphine, and near death.
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The three-day road is a journey
between life and death. As Niska paddles her canoe, in an effort to
keep Xavier alive she tells him her life story, and Xavier tells of his
war exploits as a sniper together with his friend Elija Whiskeyjack.
The war scenes are some of the most violent and terrible ever put to
the page. Elija reminds the reader of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness. This
is an exceptionally fine novel destined for a long productive life.
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The Nettle Spinner |
This is the story of Alma, a 20-something tree planter working in far northern Ontario.Finding
herself pregnant and alone, Alma is drawn to an abandoned mining camp
where she meets Jake, a strange little man who is almost blind.Is he a
troll, one of Snow White's seven dwarfs in old age, or a figment of her
imagination?
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Alma relates an ancient folk tale to Jake about a girl
from medieval times. The girl is denied permission to marry her
sweetheart by a cruel landowner who tells her that if she spins him a
nettle shroud, she will be able to marry when he has put it to use. The
baby is born, and Alma begins to spin a nettle garment. As Jake becomes
weaker, Alma and the baby become stronger. What Alma does not know is
that her own courage and determination are about to be tested to the
maximum. This is a beautifully conceived novel.
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The Rent Collector |
With a prayer shawl and a cell phone,
Orthodox Jew, Gershon Stein spends his days collecting rent in a large,
family-owned building in the deteriorating garment district of
Montreal. His father is a Holocaust survivor. Gershon studies religion,
tries to live a good life, but is buffeted at every turn by devious,
cunning tenants. He thinks of the Mitzvot, God's 613 commandments:
"God made the world. The Torah is like an owner's manual, and the
mitzvot are like His operating instructions, direct from the
manufacturer."
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Gershon has a mystical experience when he meets a young bookkeeper in
the hall of the building, her name is Michelle Labelle, and he sees a
mysterious light emanating from her, an aura. This troubles him greatly
until he breaks her name into syllables, which become, "a Hebrew
sentence, a precise phrase, crystal clear. A message: Mi shel leib El-
'Who is of God's heart.'" Gershon is not an entirely reliable narrator.
Through the eyes of his dying father, we see how Gershon is regarded by
the rest of the family. This is a sleeper, wryly funny, deeply moving,
unforgettable.
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