Thursday 26 November 2009

More Great Canadian Fiction

Finished November 26
The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens
The tale had me hooked right away. It is all about the central character Mary Gooch. Mary is obese (or as she calls it, mishearing when she was a child, possessed by an obeast). She works part-time in the local drugstore, and lives a solitary sort of life with her husband.
On the eve on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, her husband doesn't come home. At first Mary isn't sure what to make of it, and soldiers on. When she finally faces up to his disappearance, she decides to follow the faint clues she has to follow him.
Mary has never ventured far beyond the small town of Leaford, Ontario and her journey takes her first to the big city of Toronto and then across the continent, opening her horizons in many ways.
She encounters many different people, from different walks of life and finds connections to them in unexpected ways. She finds inner resources and external supports that change the way she approaches her life. This is a tale of self-discovery at its best and most urgent, and a wonderful read. Definitely one of my favourites for the year.
I also like that Lansens uses Canadian settings, showing her own roots.

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