What's new in Canadian novels? I've been reading many new Canadian novels lately and I'm going to review my top five picks. Here's #1 on my list:
Y by
Marjorie Celona is a winner on every level. It seems these days we are always
asking “why?” The question at the core of this novel is, Why would a mother abandon her new-born baby on the doorstep of
the YMCA? The author doesn’t shy away from giving us many answers to this
question. This is realism at its best. The story is sometimes tragic, sometimes
hilarious, and always riveting. One of the things that struck me was the
novel’s ability to deliver the unexpected. We think we know how this story is going to end, but we don't. Characters are described from all
angles. We see them engaged in small acts of generosity and then we turn the
page and find them making horrific mistakes that are going to cause enormous
pain for others. The author is acutely aware of cause and effect. There’s a
quality to Celona's writing that reminds me of Thomas Hardy’s novels and his
sensitivity to the human condition. We make terrible mistakes but we are also
capable of such love and kindness to one another. This novel is an exploration
of human folly as well as a testament to our capacity to love one another.
