That Just Happened!

Davies, Robertson.  The Manticore.  Penguin Canada (2005).  (Originally won in 1972).

Around a mysterious death is woven a glittering, fantastical, cunningly contrived trilogy of novels. Luring the reader down labyrinthine tunnels of myth, history and magic, THE DEPTFORD TRILOGY provides an exhilarating antidote to a world from where ‘the fear and dread and splendour of wonder have been banished’.

Chapters.Indigo.ca

This was the second book in the trilogy.  I have read the first “Fifth Business” in high school, so I didn’t really remember too much of what happened.  This book follows the character David to Switzerland where he meets with a Jungian psychologist in an attempt to work through the death of his father (which he originally thought was murder and is told in the first book).  “The Manticore” is the sessions between David and his therapist as he explores the role his family played in his life.  It was pretty fascinating from a psychological perspective.  You never really get to see the therapeutic process when someone else goes through it and certainly not so condensed.  It was like he had taken all the high/critical points in therapy and fast-forwarded to the end.  The last part of the book does leave it open for a sequal, but you could read this book on its own.

I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in psychology/psychology practices, self-discovery through therapy, or who has read “Fifth Business”.

 Guèvremont, Germaine.  The Outlander.  McClelland & Stewart (1985).  (Originally won in 1950).

…Acclaimed nationally and internationally, in French and in English, as a masterpiece of the first order, Germaine Guèvremont’s  The Outlander   is suffused with the author’s uncanny ability to lead her readers to see with eyes of the character she portrays, to think with those character’s minds, to feel with their souls.  She has given us the simple folk of the Sorel area in Quebec, with their century-old mentality expressed in their customs, legends, prejudices, and popular songs.  In so doing, she has illuminated truths about all humanity, portraying tragedy tempered with loyalty to life, bigotry redeemed by simple affection, the desire for domestic security contrasted with the passion for adventure.  She has done so with the profound effect in a book of poignant beauty.

From the Back Cover

Guèvremont was able to touch on some distinctly Canadian thoughts and feelings in this novel.  I felt she accurately represented the feelings of French Canadians at the time, especially in rural areas.  The land had to be worked and was a symbol of wealth.  People still congregated in somene’s house each night, filling it with alughter, music and gossip to get through the long, cold winters.  I think that the author was able to convey the prejudices and feelings of the people so well, I could picture exactly what it would be like to live there.  The OUtlander is a man who is travelling along the roads looking for work.  One of the prominent farmers in the area allows him to work on the farm in return for a room and food.  This man ends up turning the communtiy upside down.

The family is torn between supporting the father’s decision to hire this man and the prejudices they have towards outsiders.  One woman in the community ends up falling in love with him, but how do you pakn a future with someone who won’t comit to staying in one place?  When the Outlander leaves his impact remains and Sorel, Quebec is changed forever.  I know this was a work of fiction, but it is easy to forget.  I thought this book was definitely worthy of the GG Award.

Laurence, Margaret. A Jest of God.  University of Chicago Press (1966).

For years Rachel Cameron has dreamed of leaving her small town and manipulative mother; but duty and caution have kept her at home.  At thirty-four, she finally confronts passion and death, and realizes that she cannot continue to sacrifice love and freedom, but needs both to survive.  Rachel’s passage toward self-discovery is one we will all recognize — one that is exciting, sad, funny, and true.

This book was absolutely fantastic!  A marvelous story about a woman coming into her own and finding her voice.  I am sure men can appreciate Laurence’s down to earth prose, but this is really a book about a woman for women. 

A Jest of God deals with the relationship between mother and daughter, sisters, men and women, and a woman’s self.  The protagonist, Rachel has three realities in her life; the one she feels she is expected to live, the one she believes others experience and the reality inside the darkest parts of her mind.  I think many Readers can relate to the fact that Rachel’s inner dialogue is somewhat shocking (given the time period) and very taboo.  She is hard on herself and others, but constantly begs herself to stop thinking those things. 

She also has a feeling that she is missing out on life. Rachel is stuck at home with a mother who would put a Jedi to shame with her subtle mind tricks. Her mother guilts Rachel into staying with her so that she can have someone to take care of her.  I think the mother-daughter relationship in this book is very real.  Although not everyone’s mother is that subversive, or that needy, there is a feeling of duty as the child of an aging parent.  They have looked after you your whole life and now they need help, but at what cost to yourself?  This is a balance that Rachel has not achieved. Her sister’s answer was to run away, so Rachel feels all the responsibility of care giving.

On top of all of these feelings of guilt and uncertainty, she finds herself entangled with a man who has her feeling completely new things.  She does not trust him, nor does he want her to, but she can’t help but make him her salvation.  Add this to an ever-growing complicated relationship with her coworker Calla and you have all of the ingredients for a breakdown.  Does Rachel manage to find her voice before she breaks down completely?   You will have to read it to find out.

Although I loved the story, there were 3 spelling mistakes in this book.  Not minor ones either.  I hate when that happens as it ruins the flow of the book and the meaning of the sentence.  I keep getting drawn to it on the page.  For this reason, I can’t give it 5 “ehs” but it came pretty darn close.  Even though this version has an afterword by Margaret Atwood (love!!) I would buy the version published by McClelland & Stewart. It may not have the spelling errors.