|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Monkey Beach
| | Eden Robinson
| The Barnes & Noble Review from Discover Great New Writers
"Find a map of British Columbia....
Beneath Alaska, find the Queen Charlotte Islands. Drag your finger across the map...to the coast, and you should be able to see a large island." The place described is the land of the Haisla, reservation land famous for its "black bears that are usually white." First novelist Eden Robinson is a native of this unique landscape, and her debut novel, told in the voice of a fiercely independent young woman, rings with authenticity. In Monkey Beach, she has drawn the sensitive and rebellious character of Lisa Hill, a fiery 20-year old whose little brother, Jimmy, is lost at sea in the opening scene. As the Coast Guard searches for Jimmy's missing boat, which had headed out salmon fishing several days earlier, Lisa sits at home, smoking furiously and ruminating over their shared childhood. In flashbacks illuminating the tethered lives of the Hill family, Robinson introduces several unforgettable characters: Lisa's matriarchal grandmother, Ma-ma-oo, who refuses to relinquish the Haisla traditions; her parents, who struggle to commingle ways both Western and Native American; and her Uncle Mick, a Native American activist and Elvis fan. But the truly indelible portrait painted is of Lisa, who struggles between physical reality and the spirit world that is very much a part of her psyche. Refusing to believe the reports of her brother's death, Lisa goes in search of him herself, only to discover that she's running from her own life rather than trying to save his. Monkey Beach is a moving, deeply engaging debut.
(Winter 2001 Selection)
|
|
|
|
