The Innocents

By Michael Crummey

A brother and sister are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland’s northern coastline. Their home is a stretch of rocky shore governed by the feral ocean, by a relentless pendulum of abundance and murderous scarcity. Still children with only the barest notion of the outside world, they have nothing but the family’s boat and the little knowledge passed on haphazardly by their mother and father to keep them.  (From Goodreads.)

What happened at book club…

Good news and bad news for author Michael Crummey, author of this month’s read – The Innocents. The good news, it’s been recently shortlisted for the 2019 Scotiabank Gillar Prize. Yay you!  The bad news, if left to our book club crowd… well let’s just say the shortlist may have been a bit shorter 🙁 .

Despair not! The feedback was not all negative. We thought the book was wonderfully written (ergo the Giller nomination, me thinks) and the first half of the story compelling. The negatives were that this book like so many Canadian novels, is so bloody depressing – utter poverty, hard friggin’ times, bleak landscapes + (take your pick of) abuse, incest, alchoholism, clergy…..sigh. (Wondering if the promised material or an email response from publisher might have warmed us up. Nah. ) 😉

One of us pleaded that our next book be set in a warm climate, with lots of sunshine, a happy story and feel good vibe. So the Air Canada Enroute Magazine it is!  (Joke credit to Toddy on that one).

Thank you to our host for the wine, the fishcakes, the fu&*^king hot cheezies and all the other yummy treats. It was a great discussion and a wonderful evening.

(FYI – garbage day is tomorrow! White bags it is … take that 311 lady!!)