From My Bookshelf.... by Lynn Willoughby

(Page 6)

Unless - Carol Shields
A 2011 Canada Reads choice defended by Lorne Cardinal.
I believe I have read all things written by Carol Shields, so am puzzled by the choice of this novel. Her work is wonderful, full of well rounded, knowledgeable characters, triumph, tragedy and everything in between, but I had real trouble connecting to Reta Winters - the protagonist in Unless. Not everyone feels this way, however, so you must read it for yourself. "A novel for the ages...Unless is the work of a master writer at the peak of her powers..." writes the reviewer for the Vancouver Sun.
The bulk of the book consists of descriptions by Reta of the many small daily pleasures that arise from being at the centre of a loving, close-knit family (very Shields). Yet all is not what it seems. Reta's nineteen year old daughter has dropped out of collage and now sits mute, on a piece of cardboard at the corner of Bathhurst and Bloor, with a begging bowl in her lap.
Norah sleeps at night in the Promise Hostel - a shelter for the homeless. Her sisters, Natalie and Chris, visit her on a regular basis, bringing gifts and necessities. Her father, Tom, makes the trip to Toronto to silently sit beside her every Friday, bringing his own lawnchair. Reta drives by or covertly watches her daughter from diners and stores.
But Unless is not about Norah - it is about Reta "a strong, insightful woman, with a wonderfully dry sense of humour." Reta is a comic writer and her material is close at hand - the duo of town librarians, her three close friends who meet once a week for coffee, her editor and Danielle Westerman - a French poet and friend who Reta has worked with for many years. Her best source of wry comedy is herself; "I seldom wear scarves myself, I can't be bothered and besides, whatever I put around my neck takes on the configuration of a Girl Guide kerchief, the knot working its way straight to my throat and the points sticking out...and I am most definitely not a shopper."
This is a novel in praise of "the pleasures of ordinary existence."
    Small Ceremonies
    Happenstance
    The Stone Diaries
and many others as well as poems.

Clara Callan - Richard B, Wright
Two sisters, one small town in the midst of a depression and World War II - this is the substance of a wonderful novel by a great Canadian author. This book is written in a diary and letter form that reveals the lives of the Callan sisters - Nora and Clara.
It is extraordinary to me that a male writer could capture so well the inner lives of these female characters. Not since Dolores Claiborne, written by Stephen King, have I read a book like this.
The Dionne quints are often featured throughout this novel, where Women's Auxiliary ruled the social life of small towns everywhere. "Wright's portrait draws a world of young women - pre-divorce, pre-pill, pre-liberation, where judgment weighed heavily upon anyone who defied convention."
The characters are so well defined they seem real and the themes are many and familiar in this complex novel, for anyone growing up in small town Canada. Depression era politics and economics, sexual politics, the influence of radio and movies, the melodrama of guilt - all play a part in the heroine's life and the lives of those nearest and dearest to her. The cultural shifts taking place in and around Clara and her sister are adroitly handled by Wright. This is a great read for baby boomers - both men and women - who can clearly relate to the lives of the Callan sisters.
    Adultery
    October

Who Knew?
The Dionne quintuplets, born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne in Corbeil, Ontario in 1934 were the only quintuplets to survive more than a few days. This miracle, plus their baby’s cuteness, the poverty of their French Canadian parents and the controversy over their guardianship, made them the sensation of the 1930's. They became Canada's biggest tourist attraction.