The Company We Keep by Frances Itani - March 28, 2022

 

Present were Beth,  Carla, Colette, Jane, Janet, Linda, Michèle and Shirley.  We met at Carla's home and she provided us with a lovely spread of cheeses, olives, nuts, roasted halloumi,  roasted asparagus rolls and of course wine.  After our discussion she served us a pavlova with lovely fruit and whipped cream.  

We discussed Beth's book choice The Company We Keep by Frances Itani.  This is the 4th novel by Ms. Itani that we have read.  We also read, Deafening, Tell and Requiem.  She is one of our favourite Canadian authors.  Ms. Itani was born in Belleville Ontario and now lives in Ottawa. She studied Nursing and practiced and taught Nursing in Canada and the United States. She has published 18 books, children's books, poetry and 8 novels.  

The Company We Keep is the story of 6 people who meet once a week to talk.  All are grieving and we learn of each person's particular life as Ms. Itani dedicates entire chapters to each person.  The characters are well developed, we get to know each one of them well.  There is no plot to this story it is about the lives of each person and their interactions on Tuesday nights, the friendships that develop and the bond that is created between all of them.  Each has run into a wall and cannot seem to move forward with their life. They find the support to move forward within the group.

All who were present liked and enjoyed the book.  Some felt it is the best of Ms. Itani's 4 books that we have read.  It is low-keyed but the characters are compelling and we found that we became attached to the characters. Most loved the humour in the story that came mainly from the parrot Ricco.  Gwen, who accepts a part-time job taking care of Ricco develops quite a relationship with the parrot.  

Some of our members lost close relatives and friends during the pandemic and this book hit close to home.  Since services were restricted during this time, it was difficult to grieve properly and the how some of the character dealt with their loss seemed to help.  It was definitely a story for the time we are going through.  Certainly our former member Jolene who unfortunately passed away in 2018, would have particularly enjoyed this book since it has a wonderfully happy ending. 

Thank you to Beth for this book selection.  

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson - February 28, 2022

 Present were Beth, Betty, Colette, Janet, Linda, Marg, Michèle and Shirley. We discussed Betty's book choice, A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson.

Mary Lawson is a Canadian author living in Great Britain. This is her fourth novel, all having received rave reviews. It was on the long list for the 2021 Booker Prize. We read her first book Crow Lake in 2003 and The Other Side of the Bridge in 2009.  

The story takes place in a small, fictional Northern Ontario town called Solace and through 3 main characters tells a story of grief, remorse and love. Clara, a young girl of 8, waits by the window for her sister Rose who has run away from home. Elizabeth Orchard lives next door and is in hospital. She wills her house to Liam, a divorced man in his 30s who has left Toronto, his family and job.  

Clara is longing for her sister to come home. Her parents, wanting to protect her, won't talk to her and explain why Rose has left. She takes care of Elizabeth Orchard's cat while she is in hospital. Elizabeth is in hospital and knows she is probably dying and tries to make amends for past actions.  She wills her home to Liam and as the story progresses, we learn of the drama between Liam and Elizabeth.  

Almost all of our members enjoyed the book and appreciated Mary Lawson's writing and how well she develops the characters in her stories. Some of our members would have liked more description of the town and the surrounding Northern Ontario scene. It was, as a couple of our members said, a nice light read, in which you could easily find yourself engrossed in the story and the characters. Some felt it was a sad story but others felt it finished on a positive note with Clara being the link whose attitude allowed some optimism to emerge.  

Thank you Betty for a good choice.  It is always good to read again an author that we so much enjoyed.