Family Life | Book Chatter

Sunday Matters

This past week was a good one. The 39 Steps wrapped last night and let me tell you, it was the most hysterical show. I laughed until I cried and then I laughed some more. I believe this was The Teen’s first non-musical performance and it was a lot of fun. He played a bunch of roles but his main role was Mr. Memory.

It rained in California! Yes, it did and there was even a tornado, flooding and mud slides but it moved through quickly and the air is so nice and clean. Another storm is expected for Monday. Bring it on.

I’ve gotten to the point where I need to do my shopping and it needs to be done today. I can’t put it off anymore. We are heading into the last week of school for the kids and my last week at work. Joy! But, that pesky shopping. Tsk. I am sitting down right now looking over my list to make sure I know what the plan is.

Right Now:

Trying to decide if we will attend church or not. Today is a special service where they turn it over to the kids. It could be fun but The Girl is not in that age range and The Hub, not sure he has the patience for it. I may watch it online. Hmmm. Still thinking about it.

This Week:

Nothing much going on. The Teen has his choir Christmas party, finals and I think he has a choir performance too but that is for a private party and doesn’t involve us. The Girl has a class bunco party and me? Nothing. Well, except for work.

Reading:

Hoping to finish The Rosie Effect. I got sidetracked by King’s short story, A Good Marriage. I had the library book for no less than four renewals and finally sat down to read it. It was a good story. Haven’t seen the movie but I honestly don’t feel I need to. I got what I needed from the story.

Next up, Murakami’s The Strange Library and I am ending the year with it.

Watching:

Chritmas movies. I gotta start watching them now. I am really in the mood for The Family Stone.

Making:

Nothing, right now. I haven’t a lick of food in the house. I really need to hit the market but Chinese take-out sounds good too.

Grateful for:

Today, I am grateful for my little Otter Pup. She has been with us for nearly five years now and is the most delightful little pup. She’s sweet, a bad ass when she needs to be, hopelessly devoted, and funny as hell with all of her antics. People always ask what she is, but I have no idea. We rescued her from the shelter when she was about five months old. She’s some sort of terrier mix but the rest, who knows? She’s only 7 lbs but she secretly thinks she is a much larger dog.

The Otter Pup

Happy Thought For the Week:

One. More. Week.

What are your plans for today? Any special holiday events?

Canada
By Richard Ford
(Ecco, Paperback, 9780061692031, January 2013, 432pp.)

The Short of It:

The anatomy of a crime, as told by one of the characters most affected by it.

The Rest of It:

First, I’ll tell about the robbery our parents committed. Then about the murders, which happened later. The robbery is the more important part, since it served to set my and my sister’s lives on the courses they eventually followed. Nothing would make complete sense without that being told first. (First lines of Canada)

Those opening lines set the stage for Dell’s story. His parents, struggling to make a life for themselves in Great Falls, Montana, rob a bank after getting involved in an illegal business deal. Their hope, is to pay off their debt and begin again. What Bev Parsons does not know, is that his wife Neeva sees this criminal act as a way to escape a lifetime with the man she married. Dell and his sister Berner are left to a family friend who has plans to get them out of the country. But as twins, and only fifteen, they are not sure what to make of the things happening around them.

What a book. I’ve never read Richard Ford before but when my book club picked it for January I had to give it a try. It’s not a book a reader can love. The story is too bleak for that, but I did appreciate the languid writing. Some of the members in the group compared Ford to Richard Russo and I agree. His writing reminded me a lot of Russo.

Many of the details shared are “day in the life” type details but at the same time, Ford uses foreshadowing to string the reader along. It works. I read these 400+ pages in two sittings. Telling the story from Dell’s sheltered perspective is somewhat limiting at times, but his wide-eyed wonder at the things going on around him made him vulnerable which lent the story a fragile, precarious quality.

What I most enjoyed, is the discussion that took place afterward. It’s hard to imagine what drives people to do the things they do, but it was fun to discuss it. Dell’s parents were never normal, in the traditional sense of the word. They kept their kids sheltered, were not successful in any way and tried to remain under the radar. Living in that small town, they managed to avoid most of their neighbors and didn’t seem to know how to interact with the people around them, or each other. This should have helped them in the end, but it’s really what did them in.

Ford can tell a tale and his sense of place is strong here. I enjoyed his style of writing so much, that I will be sure to seek out his other books. Have you read any of his books?

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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