What do You think about The Whirlpool (2001)?
Interesting novel dealing with the status of women in the late 19th century on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls. Two female characters seek their liberation in distinctly different ways. One begins by freeing herself from the materialism of living in a house (she lives in a large tent constructed by her husband, overlooking the whirpool)and immerses herself in Robert Browning. The other is the widow of the local mortician and she buries those who risk their lives going over the falls. Highlights the creative ways these two women see their way through the limit choices of their time.
—Judy
So readable, the translation of the words into your mind is so easy. I can hear, see, feel, touch everything, I felt thoroughly transported while reading. Is so refreshing to read because of the strangeness of the lyrics the story's voice intoned. Many books are wonderfully lyrical, but this book's lyrics weren't just good, but so different, so far apart, from any other book I've read. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this negatively, it doesn't bother me in this case, but the book wasn't strong. It was too flowing, changing, as one of the main metaphors of the book. It doesn't leave a lasting impressions, instead infinitely moves your sprit in a single present moment. It's too artist to be strong, and that's the beauty of it.
—Feathzzz
The Whirlpool evokes Urquhart's characteristic exploration of the ways that landscapes can embody memory and the general power of Place. Taking on the iconic setting of Niagara Falls with its larger-than-life evocation of a sense of wonder, Urquhart tells a tale that is fundamentally about the beauty of people and their ability to shift and change like the whirlpool they live next to. Equally a physical space and a dreamscape on which characters project their fears, desires, and identities, the Whirlpool itself comes to suck in identities and concepts, taking on imagery of sexuality, freedom, and, as a potential killer, of course it takes on imagery of death.Objects are never passive in Urguhart's work, always taking on memory, dreams, aspirations, and speaking to the personalities of the characters around them, and the beauty of the whirlpool, a swirling current of desire and the sublime, is a wondrous receptacle for Urquhart's imaginative vision.
—Derek Newman-Stille
