Clear gothic inspiration of Du Maurier's Rebecca, Carroll sets her variation in the Ontario woods, where Abby, a simple small-town woman marries a widClear gothic inspiration of Du Maurier's Rebecca, Carroll sets her variation in the Ontario woods, where Abby, a simple small-town woman marries a widower dentist, becomes a stepmother to pre-teen Crystal, and begins to question the story she's been told about the first wife after a series of strange occurrences.
There's a rich inner life to Abby, revealed in full color display (reds, pinks, and blues, Abby envisioning herself armored as a knight, slaying dragons) that juxtaposes to the "real life" passive and drab Abby, drawn in black and white. Mysteries build upon each other, leaving the reader with bigger questions and plenty to parse and contemplate in the end.
4.5 stars - found this one through a "Best of 2023" list (unfortunately can't recall which one)...more
St. John Mandel fit a lot of story into these 300 pages! Some may say too much story with the shifting timelines and a large cast of characters, but iSt. John Mandel fit a lot of story into these 300 pages! Some may say too much story with the shifting timelines and a large cast of characters, but it worked well for this reader.
The characters took on an untethered quality, able to make/remake themselves at different points. I liked that the author worked in real-life events like the Great Recession and Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme through the character of Jonathan, and the aftermath of the crimes.
Unique premise, different than her other works I have read. Left me wanting a little more, which is a good place to be.
"It almost seemed as if there must be some random and of course unfair thrift in the emotional housekeeping of the world, if the great happiness - how"It almost seemed as if there must be some random and of course unfair thrift in the emotional housekeeping of the world, if the great happiness - however temporary, however flimsy - of one person could come out of the unhappiness of another."
My Goodreads tells me I read an Alice Munro story collection over a decade ago, but unfortunately do not remember a single thing about it, so, *Too Much Happiness* felt like my first time with Munro, and it was a unexpected and rewarding journey. I have heard her called the Canadian Chekhov, and that description gets pretty close - family themes, choices/consequences, etc.
The stories here, despite the Happiness title, are quite complex with several dark themes (intimate partner abuse, violence, bullying). Her stories' narrators are typically middle-aged women, oftentimes recalling something from their past that has come back around in one way or another.
I suspect the stories that will stay with me (and that I'd rate 5 stars individually) are:
• Dimensions • Fiction • Free Radicals • Child's Play
4.25/5*
** Read for my Nobel23 project of reading 2 Nobel Laureates in Literature each month. Munro won the Prize in 2013....more
Beaton manages to capture so many things in this book - it's quite extraordinary.
- Collapse of fisheries and industry in the Canadian Maritime provincBeaton manages to capture so many things in this book - it's quite extraordinary.
- Collapse of fisheries and industry in the Canadian Maritime provinces - Exodus and migration of eastern workers to Ontario and Alberta - Cultural / linguistic retention even in re-location, finding "your own" - Student loans and debt - The burden and expectations of graduating from North American universities - The allure of "the west" - Short-term hardship for long-term gains - The conflicts of working for/with an industry that scars and maims the earth - The conflicts of working for/with an industry that injures and puts humans at risk - Camp culture and toxic workplaces - Isolation and mood shifts - Gender roles - Addiction and substance abuse - Assault and shame - Mental health
I could keep going. There's a lot to chew on here, and this is one that will stay with me. Read the postscript too - a little more to the story there....more