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Spadework
On a summer evening in Stratford, Ontario, the errant thrust of agardener’s spade slices a telephone cable into instant silence. The resulting disconnection is devastating. With the failure of one call to reach a house, an ambitious young actor becomes the victim of sexual blackmail. The blocking of a second call leads tragically to murder. And when a Bell Canada repairman arrives to mend the broken line, his innocent yet irresistible male beauty has explosive consequences. In Spadework, Timothy Findley, master storyteller and playwright, has created an electric wordplay of infidelity and morality set on the stage of Canada’s preeminent theater town. In this fictional portrait, intrigue, passion, and ambition are always waiting in the wings. Findley peoples the town with theater folk, artists, writers, and visitors (both welcome and unwelcome), and with lives that are immediately recognizable as "Findley-esque" -- the lonely, the dispossessed, and the sexually troubled. A story that ripples with ever-widening repercussions, a sensual, witty, and completely absorbing novel, Spadework is another Timothy Findley winner.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
7 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Findley
58books348followersTimothy Irving Frederick Findley was a Canadian novelist and playwright. He was also informally known by the nickname Tiff or Tiffy, an acronym of his initials.
One of three sons, Findley was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Allan Gilmour Findley, a stockbroker, and his wife, the former Margaret Maude Bull. His paternal grandfather was president of Massey-Harris, the farm-machinery company. He was raised in the upper class Rosedale district of the city, attending boarding school at St. Andrew's College (although leaving during grade 10 for health reasons). He pursued a career in the arts, studying dance and acting, and had significant success as an actor before turning to writing. He was part of the original Stratford Festival company in the 1950s, acting alongside Alec Guinness, and appeared in the first production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker at the Edinburgh Festival. He also played Peter Pupkin in Sunshine Sketches, the CBC Television adaptation of Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town.
Though Findley had declared his homosexuality as a teenager, he married actress/photographer Janet Reid in 1959, but the union lasted only three months and was dissolved by divorce or annulment two years later. Eventually he became the domestic partner of writer Bill Whitehead, whom he met in 1962. Findley and Whitehead also collaborated on several documentary projects in the 1970s, including the television miniseries The National Dream and Dieppe 1942.
Through Wilder, Findley became a close friend of actress Ruth Gordon, whose work as a screenwriter and playwright inspired Findley to consider writing as well. After Findley published his first short story in the Tamarack Review, Gordon encouraged him to pursue writing more actively, and he eventually left acting in the 1960s.
Findley's first two novels, The Last of the Crazy People (1967) and The Butterfly Plague (1969), were originally published in Britain and the United States after having been rejected by Canadian publishers. Findley's third novel, The Wars, was published to great acclaim in 1977 and went on to win the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction. It was adapted for film in 1981.
Timothy Findley received a Governor General's Award, the Canadian Authors Association Award, an ACTRA Award, the Order of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Award, and in 1985 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was a founding member and chair of the Writers' Union of Canada, and a president of the Canadian chapter of PEN International.
His writing was typical of the Southern Ontario Gothic style � Findley, in fact, first invented its name � and was heavily influenced by Jungian psychology. Mental illness, gender and sexuality were frequent recurring themes in his work. His characters often carried dark personal secrets, and were often conflicted � sometimes to the point of psychosis � by these burdens.
He publicly mentioned his homosexuality, passingly and perhaps for the first time, on a broadcast of the programme The Shulman File in the 1970s, taking flabbergasted host Morton Shulman completely by surprise.
Findley and Whitehead resided at Stone Orchard, a farm near Cannington, Ontario, and in the south of France. In 1996, Findley was honoured by the French government, who declared him a Chevalier de l'Ordre des arts et des lettres.
Findley was also the author of several dramas for television and stage. Elizabeth Rex, his most successful play, premiered at the Stratford Festival of Canada to rave reviews and won a Governor General's award. His 1993 play The Stillborn Lover was adapted by Shaftesbury Films into the television film External Affairs, which aired on CBC Television in 1999. Shadows, first performed in 2001, was his last completed work. Findley was also an active mentor to a number of young Canadian writers, including Marnie Woodrow and Elizabeth Ruth.
One of three sons, Findley was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Allan Gilmour Findley, a stockbroker, and his wife, the former Margaret Maude Bull. His paternal grandfather was president of Massey-Harris, the farm-machinery company. He was raised in the upper class Rosedale district of the city, attending boarding school at St. Andrew's College (although leaving during grade 10 for health reasons). He pursued a career in the arts, studying dance and acting, and had significant success as an actor before turning to writing. He was part of the original Stratford Festival company in the 1950s, acting alongside Alec Guinness, and appeared in the first production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker at the Edinburgh Festival. He also played Peter Pupkin in Sunshine Sketches, the CBC Television adaptation of Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town.
Though Findley had declared his homosexuality as a teenager, he married actress/photographer Janet Reid in 1959, but the union lasted only three months and was dissolved by divorce or annulment two years later. Eventually he became the domestic partner of writer Bill Whitehead, whom he met in 1962. Findley and Whitehead also collaborated on several documentary projects in the 1970s, including the television miniseries The National Dream and Dieppe 1942.
Through Wilder, Findley became a close friend of actress Ruth Gordon, whose work as a screenwriter and playwright inspired Findley to consider writing as well. After Findley published his first short story in the Tamarack Review, Gordon encouraged him to pursue writing more actively, and he eventually left acting in the 1960s.
Findley's first two novels, The Last of the Crazy People (1967) and The Butterfly Plague (1969), were originally published in Britain and the United States after having been rejected by Canadian publishers. Findley's third novel, The Wars, was published to great acclaim in 1977 and went on to win the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction. It was adapted for film in 1981.
Timothy Findley received a Governor General's Award, the Canadian Authors Association Award, an ACTRA Award, the Order of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Award, and in 1985 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was a founding member and chair of the Writers' Union of Canada, and a president of the Canadian chapter of PEN International.
His writing was typical of the Southern Ontario Gothic style � Findley, in fact, first invented its name � and was heavily influenced by Jungian psychology. Mental illness, gender and sexuality were frequent recurring themes in his work. His characters often carried dark personal secrets, and were often conflicted � sometimes to the point of psychosis � by these burdens.
He publicly mentioned his homosexuality, passingly and perhaps for the first time, on a broadcast of the programme The Shulman File in the 1970s, taking flabbergasted host Morton Shulman completely by surprise.
Findley and Whitehead resided at Stone Orchard, a farm near Cannington, Ontario, and in the south of France. In 1996, Findley was honoured by the French government, who declared him a Chevalier de l'Ordre des arts et des lettres.
Findley was also the author of several dramas for television and stage. Elizabeth Rex, his most successful play, premiered at the Stratford Festival of Canada to rave reviews and won a Governor General's award. His 1993 play The Stillborn Lover was adapted by Shaftesbury Films into the television film External Affairs, which aired on CBC Television in 1999. Shadows, first performed in 2001, was his last completed work. Findley was also an active mentor to a number of young Canadian writers, including Marnie Woodrow and Elizabeth Ruth.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
January 12, 2016
Inconsistent. That is the best way to describe this novel. As a person who loves the town of Stratford Ontario, and its Shakespeare Festival, I was intrigued and amused by the set up for the novel. Many of the text's characters are in some way affiliated with the Festival, and the little details about daily life in Stratford are fun reading for anyone who has an affinity for the town.
However, the book's plot and most of its dialogue feels cinematic, and not at all in a good way. There are moments (alas only moments) of brilliance in this novel, but they are quickly replaced by soap opera scenarios, and scenes out of left field. Too many times while reading this text, I found myself at a complete loss as to what the purpose was. If Findley's goal was to create a domestic drama, it was simply too unrealistic. The ending reeks of being contrived, and only the most ludicrously optimistic people will find it even the tiniest bit plausible.
I really wanted to love this text. It did not happen. Not my fault, I was predisposed to like it. Findley simply did not provide any reason for me to do so.
However, the book's plot and most of its dialogue feels cinematic, and not at all in a good way. There are moments (alas only moments) of brilliance in this novel, but they are quickly replaced by soap opera scenarios, and scenes out of left field. Too many times while reading this text, I found myself at a complete loss as to what the purpose was. If Findley's goal was to create a domestic drama, it was simply too unrealistic. The ending reeks of being contrived, and only the most ludicrously optimistic people will find it even the tiniest bit plausible.
I really wanted to love this text. It did not happen. Not my fault, I was predisposed to like it. Findley simply did not provide any reason for me to do so.
August 16, 2014
No, I wasn’t imagining it. The repeated references to a certain brand of a rather ordinary Australian wine, and later on, a brand of soup, are intrusive examples of ‘product placement� in this book. It’s listed amongst a roll call of other books that have succumbed to this shabby practice on Library Thing. I’m appalled because Timothy Findley (1930-2002) is a favourite of mine, and I cannot imagine what it was that possessed him to do it.
For the rest of this review see
For the rest of this review see
October 15, 2011
Very much liked the theme of how the decisions we make impact on our lives and the lives of others and the fact that life goes on regardless of these decisions. I found it difficult to relate to, or empathize with, any of the characters within the book. This is particularly true with the two main characters Griffin and Jane which makes the resolution of the events that took place during the book (their moving apart from each other) sort of anti-climatic. I really did not care what happened to these two. Still totally confused by the scene when Jane is visited by an old boyfriend from Louisiana.
January 30, 2012
The opening chapter is utterly fantastic. I haven't been to Stratford since I was eleven but that magic of the festival and the magic of the play watching itself. Chills, I tell you. I was so hoping the rest of the book would hold up to that promise, but alas it didn't. I think I was hoping for a lot more intrigue and mystery so much than this erotic thing. The sexual desire and blackmail going on here is really all that drives the plot here than anything else and I think if I had expected that going to him I might have appreciated the book more.
That's really about it here.
That's really about it here.
October 13, 2020
Was really surprised at this book - so inferior to others of his I have read. Was this his last novel?
December 15, 2019
Set in Stratford, Ontario at the Shakespeare Theatre Festival this novel was a delight to read for veteran theatre goers who have enjoyed many performances in Stratford. As characters visited some of our favorite restaurants, it felt as if we were only a few tables over from them. The focus is on one family, an actor, his wife who designs sets and does props and their seven year-old son, appropriately named Will. The story begins on an opening night where Griffin Kincaid, Jane’s husband is playing Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing. The excitement of opening night is soon overlaid with Jane’s concern about the lovely young woman playing opposite Griffin and Griffin’s concern over whether he will be picked up for the following season. The atmosphere of this particular theatre town is captured fully as the reader gets to know the Kincaids� housekeeper and gardener as well as the Kincaid family. Both Jane and Griffin will keep secrets from each other which challenges their marriage. There are a series of murders, but this is not a murder mystery since the focus is not on the murderer, but on the chilling effect the murders have on some of the characters. Findley creates a complex and believable world that shows how the drama onstage is fed by the assorted dramas offstage. The juxtaposition of the two worlds enriches the themes of how people negotiate the complications of the many roles they simultaneously play in life. Issues of family and friendship, of ambition and exploitation as well of acceptance and forgiveness are demonstrated as each of the characters act in ways that help them understand themselves more fully. This an absorbing read even for those who have not yet make it up to the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Canada.
February 15, 2021
This book set in Stratford. It features the people of the town and those involved in the Stratford theatre. A cut phone line by a gardener sets off a series of events that disrupts several lives. How far would a person go to achieve their goals? How can secrets undermine a happy marriage? Add to the mix a murder in town and everyone is on edge.
Thiis was my first Timothy Findley book and I look forward to reading more of his work.
Thiis was my first Timothy Findley book and I look forward to reading more of his work.
July 17, 2012
про другий мною прочитаний роман Тімоті Фіндлі, одного із справді знакових фігур сучасної канадської прози та драматургії, можна сказати: не розчарував. довго вагався, що поставити цій книжці. з одного боку, так хотілося вліпити п*ятірку за блискучий темп письма, чудове відчуття життя та персонажів, блискучу історію (не без мого подивування) та не менш чудові часопросторові вирішення. з іншого боку, Фіндлі часто зловживає курсивами, пробілами, відступами та всіма іншими типовими для Стівена Кінга та, скажімо, Томаса Пінчона прийомами, що зовсім, як на мене, не потрібні для цього тексту. річ не у тім, що такий прийом не є доцільним (він працює і цілком обумовлений), а справа у достатній цілісності та самодостатності роману, який у двох словах про молоду пару творчих людей, у житті яких відбулось певне awakening, що розлучить їх, а потім зблизить назавжди.
таке пробудження насамперед тілесне: Джейн, художницю і любітєльніцу червоного вина, потягло на юного атлетичного Мілоша, дотик із пальцем якого вдарив бідолашну громом несвідомого бажання заволодіти поляком попри все. натомість не менш атлетичний її чоловік Гріффін, актор шекспірівського театру у Стратфорді (до слова, рідного театра і міста Фіндлі), пробуджується у доволі несподіваному дусі. точніше, його пробуджує Джонатан, підлий нарцис, що розподіляє ролі у театру. Гріффін мусить піти на провокації Джонатана, щоб отримати роль, про яку він мріє все життя. зрозуміло, все це ретельно приховується і маскується, але як би не старався запхати скелети у глибини свої шафи - однаково вистрибнуть.
гетеросексуальний Тімоті Фіндлі не описує жодних сексуальних подробиць (більше того, він акуратно їх скасовує - Гріффін під час чергової зустрічі із Джонатаном зауважує, що жодних геніталій!), рятуючи одних і розчаровуючи інших (згадайте Каннінгема, який спокійно все розписує і деталізує). однак, як і кожний талановитий художник, він двома-трьома штрихами зображує і пристрасть на межі із божевіллям (Дджейн), і параноїдальне бажання реалізуватись попри все, навіть приниження (Гріффін), і етичне протиріччя із рідними (Люк), і абсолютно виняткове світосприйняття дитини (Уіллі). ось такий дивний і водночас дуже традиційний за інотанцією роман написав наприкінці свого життя вже покійний Тімоті Фіндлі. не знаю, чи роман-заповіт, але після нього хочеться далі копати (spadework): як у творчості письменника, так і у літературі Канади загалом.
таке пробудження насамперед тілесне: Джейн, художницю і любітєльніцу червоного вина, потягло на юного атлетичного Мілоша, дотик із пальцем якого вдарив бідолашну громом несвідомого бажання заволодіти поляком попри все. натомість не менш атлетичний її чоловік Гріффін, актор шекспірівського театру у Стратфорді (до слова, рідного театра і міста Фіндлі), пробуджується у доволі несподіваному дусі. точніше, його пробуджує Джонатан, підлий нарцис, що розподіляє ролі у театру. Гріффін мусить піти на провокації Джонатана, щоб отримати роль, про яку він мріє все життя. зрозуміло, все це ретельно приховується і маскується, але як би не старався запхати скелети у глибини свої шафи - однаково вистрибнуть.
гетеросексуальний Тімоті Фіндлі не описує жодних сексуальних подробиць (більше того, він акуратно їх скасовує - Гріффін під час чергової зустрічі із Джонатаном зауважує, що жодних геніталій!), рятуючи одних і розчаровуючи інших (згадайте Каннінгема, який спокійно все розписує і деталізує). однак, як і кожний талановитий художник, він двома-трьома штрихами зображує і пристрасть на межі із божевіллям (Дджейн), і параноїдальне бажання реалізуватись попри все, навіть приниження (Гріффін), і етичне протиріччя із рідними (Люк), і абсолютно виняткове світосприйняття дитини (Уіллі). ось такий дивний і водночас дуже традиційний за інотанцією роман написав наприкінці свого життя вже покійний Тімоті Фіндлі. не знаю, чи роман-заповіт, але після нього хочеться далі копати (spadework): як у творчості письменника, так і у літературі Канади загалом.
May 17, 2014
I have read a lot of Timothy Findley and greatly looked forward to reading this but it is not on par with his other books. I would not recommend this book. I finished it hoping that his true talent would reveal itself-- it did not. Findley is a great writer but this is definitely not his best work. Pilgrim, Piano Man's Daughter, Not Wanted on the Voyage--pretty much anything else is highly recommended.
April 25, 2009
Did not like the first chapter, once I got into it the story improved, it is a light fluffy farce about theatre persons,in Stratford Ontario, wealthy wife, who guzzles the wine like water, a son, actor husband, the latter "is forced"? into a homosexual relationship with a producer in order to get good roles, all's well that end's well. Somewhat disappointing from a good Canadian Author.
October 20, 2013
After starting this book, I realized I had tried to read this before. After getting more than halfway through, I gave us again. Timothy is a great writer and I enjoy his style, but the subject matter and the characters and the plot were not interesting to me.
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December 2, 2017good quick read
about love an infidelity - small town and expectations
Characters are well described and their motivation almost believable. i could not put this down until i finished it. Takes place Stratford, Ont.
about love an infidelity - small town and expectations
Characters are well described and their motivation almost believable. i could not put this down until i finished it. Takes place Stratford, Ont.
April 12, 2010
The actor/director relationship was just dumb.
April 16, 2010
Very interesting.... until the end. She made the WRONG decision.
February 20, 2011
Horrible, ghastly, stiff, contrived and a total letdown from one of my favourite authors. What was he thinking?
September 20, 2017
Okay this book was a pain to read. I couldn't get behind any of the characters. I felt like they all needed a good hard slap. Jane is just messed up but you don't know why. I guess being rich makes you crazy. They never go into detail about how her and Griff met, their having Will, nothing about THEIR story. Troy being inserted into the story was just confusing and a waste. Okay, Jane. She is a woman who drinks too much, smokes too much, talks to herself too much, wants another child although she barely spends time with the one she has. She has sexual fantasies about a stranger though from the talk with her therapist I got the notion that she ISN'T sexual at all. Confusing.
Mercy's story and Luke & Runner's stories were a big waste to me. I didn't care about their characters and their fucked up lives. Point blank.
The ONLY part of this book that was even mildly interesting but STILL managed to lack any dept or character development was the affair Griff had with Jonathan. Why did Griff just avoid Will and Jane? Did Jonathan make him or was it his own shame that kept him away? Why did Jonathan leave his wife? Why didn't the author give us more dialog, more of what Griff was thinking, feeling? Would Griff have left Jonathan if he hadn't been told that story about Jonathan's son dying?
There were so many things the author could have expanded on that he didn't. That he wasted on FLUFF and meaningless characters.
Mercy's story and Luke & Runner's stories were a big waste to me. I didn't care about their characters and their fucked up lives. Point blank.
The ONLY part of this book that was even mildly interesting but STILL managed to lack any dept or character development was the affair Griff had with Jonathan. Why did Griff just avoid Will and Jane? Did Jonathan make him or was it his own shame that kept him away? Why did Jonathan leave his wife? Why didn't the author give us more dialog, more of what Griff was thinking, feeling? Would Griff have left Jonathan if he hadn't been told that story about Jonathan's son dying?
There were so many things the author could have expanded on that he didn't. That he wasted on FLUFF and meaningless characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2018
Murder, infidelity, a diverse cast of characters, both on-stage and off. Set in Stratford, Ontario, home of the Shakespeare Festival, in the summer of 1998. Local colour and history as well as insight into the roles actors play and how they get 'into' the role. And all is set off by the innocent work of a gardener as he cuts a telephone cable and a call can't be made while another can't be received. Excellent
October 25, 2020
I got 150 pages or so and I can't bring myself to continue. The story was just so bland that with every page turn I had to question..was this the same author who wrote The Last of the Crazy People, Headhunter and Not Wanted on the Voyage???
The novel takes place in Stratford, a lovely part of Ontario, and just about the only redeemable part of the novel.
And there is also copious references to wine. You'll probably need a glass or three to get through this.
The novel takes place in Stratford, a lovely part of Ontario, and just about the only redeemable part of the novel.
And there is also copious references to wine. You'll probably need a glass or three to get through this.
March 25, 2020
My favourite part was being in Stratford when we don't know when we will be there again. It was also interesting to see a Weinstein- like scenario playing out in the novel.
The parts I did not like were characters I could not relate to (and too many of them) as well as the author cramming in too many plots.
The parts I did not like were characters I could not relate to (and too many of them) as well as the author cramming in too many plots.
March 5, 2021
I would rate lower for extreme lack of just being realistic and also for pretentiousness. Though it is set in the Ontario theatre world so that could be some excuse.
Gets a slight pass b/c while telling a ridiculous and obnoxious story, Findley was still one of Canada's best writers, and that counts for a lot. Not near as good as 'Not wanted on the Voyage' which is a very memorable, stellar piece of CanLit.
Gets a slight pass b/c while telling a ridiculous and obnoxious story, Findley was still one of Canada's best writers, and that counts for a lot. Not near as good as 'Not wanted on the Voyage' which is a very memorable, stellar piece of CanLit.
March 3, 2020
It was nice to see Stratford, Ontario come to life in this novel. However, instead of convincing me that actors are not so bad to be married to, it underscores why I would never marry an actor. I hated the ending. Aldulterers need consequences.
2020 alphabet challenge: F-Findley
2020 alphabet challenge: F-Findley
September 21, 2021
A good book and am glad to have read it but certainly not Findleys best work. Felt 'padded out' in places and some unlikely plot devices employed and quite implausible events. Persisted with this book in the hope something would reach out and grab me but no, just meandered to an end.
August 12, 2017
Glad that's over with!
August 14, 2020
Terribly written and boring plot. And the one thing I can't stand is when authors shamelessly name drop brands throughout the book. Wonder if Findlay got a kickback?
October 29, 2020
I loved it, although I always love Timothy Findley. I found Jane to be a little over-the-top with her obsession and description of the Bell repairman, so that was a bit distracting. As I have never read Shakespeare I thought it would be difficult to to get into the book (I probably would have enjoyed it more though) but it wasn't.
December 9, 2023
One of my fave findley- a quiet careful character study - but also a salacious soap opera. Camp, misunderstood.
February 21, 2024
I wish so much that this was not his last book. His first openly gay novel should have been a triumph but reads as a soap opera.
August 22, 2024
Not terrible but definitely not his best
August 9, 2016
(While reading)
I’m reading “Spadework� by Timothy Findley. My first of his. At first it seemed a boring book, it’s in the prose of mundane American fiction. And then everything seemed too perfect: a woman and her family living and working in Stratford, Ontario, the man an actor, the woman an artist/ props maker. The child precotious. Being me, I just waited for something to break the normalness of it, like you do in a suspense film (which I don’t like, by the way). Slowly, the normal routine of the family is altered, elements sneaking in. Also, the perspectives of the periferal characters are sneaking in as well. The easy prose, the extra details that so far seem only to be filler where I would rather they contribute to something, as foreshadowing maybe, or is the subtext -all the details of the setting, for example- I hope they all add up to something in the end. I think it’s a sneaky book. I think the simpleness of the writing and the normalness of the family is a trick and both are going to fall away in the end into a clever resolution.
(After I finished)
It was a really thick book but it didn’t take me long to read. Deceiving. The font was large and there weren’t many words on each page. I like that in a book because I feel speedy. I also like finishing books because then I feel accomplished.
The end of the book came about pretty much with what I was hoping for. Clever-ish. Actually I’m the one who’s clever. I was thinking to myself during the last few pages that this was the story of a bunch of peole who just go about in an ordinary way, living their lives, routine, and that the novel catches them just when the routine is broken, and less-than-ordinary things start to happen to them. I don’t want to say “exciting� or “extraordinary� things because they aren’t. But given the context, things go astray. The image I had in my mind was that of a string, that we live our lives along a string and then at some times that string frays, or in the case of “Spadework� breaks apart with a *pop* (this is just the picture in my head). But then all those bits of fible that make up the string start to heal, and grow back together into a single string again, and routine is restored, and if it’s a novel then the characters are left with a suggestion that things are going to be OK.
What makes me clever is that the author had the same image in mind, pretty much. The last image of the book is that of a river, obstructed a a dam, and then flowing on unchallenged. And that’s what the whole novel is. People overcoming obstacles that aren’t your run of the mill everyday obstacles, but nothing overly dramatic. And at the end I was pretty sure that everything was going to be alright.
I was also thinking as I read that this was little more than a perfectly crafted work. That’s fine, I just like when novelists go a little wacky with their structure.
I’m reading “Spadework� by Timothy Findley. My first of his. At first it seemed a boring book, it’s in the prose of mundane American fiction. And then everything seemed too perfect: a woman and her family living and working in Stratford, Ontario, the man an actor, the woman an artist/ props maker. The child precotious. Being me, I just waited for something to break the normalness of it, like you do in a suspense film (which I don’t like, by the way). Slowly, the normal routine of the family is altered, elements sneaking in. Also, the perspectives of the periferal characters are sneaking in as well. The easy prose, the extra details that so far seem only to be filler where I would rather they contribute to something, as foreshadowing maybe, or is the subtext -all the details of the setting, for example- I hope they all add up to something in the end. I think it’s a sneaky book. I think the simpleness of the writing and the normalness of the family is a trick and both are going to fall away in the end into a clever resolution.
(After I finished)
It was a really thick book but it didn’t take me long to read. Deceiving. The font was large and there weren’t many words on each page. I like that in a book because I feel speedy. I also like finishing books because then I feel accomplished.
The end of the book came about pretty much with what I was hoping for. Clever-ish. Actually I’m the one who’s clever. I was thinking to myself during the last few pages that this was the story of a bunch of peole who just go about in an ordinary way, living their lives, routine, and that the novel catches them just when the routine is broken, and less-than-ordinary things start to happen to them. I don’t want to say “exciting� or “extraordinary� things because they aren’t. But given the context, things go astray. The image I had in my mind was that of a string, that we live our lives along a string and then at some times that string frays, or in the case of “Spadework� breaks apart with a *pop* (this is just the picture in my head). But then all those bits of fible that make up the string start to heal, and grow back together into a single string again, and routine is restored, and if it’s a novel then the characters are left with a suggestion that things are going to be OK.
What makes me clever is that the author had the same image in mind, pretty much. The last image of the book is that of a river, obstructed a a dam, and then flowing on unchallenged. And that’s what the whole novel is. People overcoming obstacles that aren’t your run of the mill everyday obstacles, but nothing overly dramatic. And at the end I was pretty sure that everything was going to be alright.
I was also thinking as I read that this was little more than a perfectly crafted work. That’s fine, I just like when novelists go a little wacky with their structure.
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