In Fuga Con La Zia : The Flying Troutmans (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Somehow I forgot to add this one. Really enjoyed it, though the ending was a bit non-final. Just heard Toews on CBC radio and it sounds like this story was based on her life with her sister. (Her sister has since committed suicide, which influenced Toews' most recent book, All My Puny Sorrows.) This information makes the book's end, in which the protagonist vows to help fight for her sister's life (even if it means fighting her sister) seem a little...optimistic and naive. But that is life, I suppose. I reaaly love Miriam Toews as an author and feel that with every book of hers I read I get to know her better as a person - even though we have never met. How so? So much of what she has experienced and shared about her family life comes through in her novels. Understanding, accepting and educating about culture, religion, mental illness/difference, and reslience come through strongly in her writing.I read The Flying Troutmans for my book club. I was keen to read it going in because it was one of Toews works I hadn't yet read, but intuitively before even opening the book my gut told me it wouln't be one of my favs. And my gut was right.What I liked about this read was its presence and resonance with Toews real life issues concerning her love and support of her sister who lived with mental illness and a desire to die. This book is about sister Hattie leaving her life in Paris to return to Canada to care for her neice and nephew while their mother, Min, was in treatment in the hospital. Hattie takes the youth on a trip in the US to find their father. It really takes the reader into the chaos and inner struggles of all three characters, the uncertainties of seeking what is best for self and others, reflection on escape from what is difficult and how to find your centre, and love deep enough to be with and guide others to their own self realization. In this read you can really see Hattie reaching her nephew through love.This book is a love story on many levels.What I didn't like about the book was a lot of the chaos and I felt having to suspend for the sake of the story things that happen that for me weren't believable enough, for example the amount the 15 year old was allowed to drive without a license, the fact that money seemed to be endless, the 11 year old niece who was too old for her age (I had to keep checking to ensure that she was really supposed to be 11 in the book), and the getting away with leaving an 11 year old alone in hotels. No doubt these kinds of things happen in real life, but for me it was distracting to have to stop often and question if this was believable enough for me to carry on.The story certainly takes the reader into parenting issues that aren't easy or fun - like right into them - so the read isn't always relaxing.But overall this book speaks to and about the role and support of family members, notably in this book sisters, during times when mental illness is present and active and takes one family member out of the game for a period of time.Knowing enough of Toews personal engagement in this topic brings a deep level of wisdom to this novel and many insights can be gained from this read.I have read most of Toews books now, but not in order of their publication. I wish I had been reading her books in order. I think that would make a difference somewhat on my take of this book.
What do You think about In Fuga Con La Zia : The Flying Troutmans (2009)?
This was a cool book. Not my favourite that she's written, but still cool.
—karen
Miriam Toews highly recommended, local talent too!
—esteesalem
