Miriam Toews’ new novel begins in Paris, where Hattie, a moody artist, is dumped by her boyfriend. She is unable to wallow in self-pity because her sister Min has been committed to a psychiatric ward. With 11-year-old Thebes and 15-year-old Logan now in her care, Hattie returns to Winnipeg.
Hattie is unable to cope with parental responsibilities and so she takes the children on a road trip to the States, ostensibly to reunite them with their estranged father. Their odyssey results in a fully realized exploration of the adage, am I my sister’s keeper?
The Flying Troutmansis a disturbing novel steeped in dysfunctional family lore. The flawed characters are unlikeable but intriguing because Toews is a succinct and careful writer who creates realistic, rich layers of the stifling atmosphere that encompasses their lives. Toews is marvellous at capturing the children’s moods. She explores the consequences of being reared by a psychologically damaged parent. While Hattie plays at being an irresponsible adult who neither chastises her niece for her lack of personal hygiene nor her nephew for his teenage angst, she is dimly aware that the emotional baggage accompanying them could implode and that the emotional journey could end in tragedy without the possibility of rescue.
Min provides the narrative tension as she hovers on the periphery of the story. Toews concentrates on digging into the children’s psyches. Here, she finds the precocious Thebes united with the brooding Logan in their
loneliness and longing for normalcy. Expect the unexpected—this is not a typical story.
Those who are afflicted by the modern desire to have closure and all of life’s problems tied up with glossy pop psychological mumbojumbo will find the low-key ending disquieting.
For those who prefer a finely crafted journey of unflinching honesty, Toews’ poignant book reminds us that we live in open-ended and complicated times.
