An
Oldie, but Goodie...And A Movie!
Back
in 1993, The Shipping News, by E. Annie Proulx, won
the National Book Award for fiction. In today's fast-paced
world, this book is worth revisiting.
The
Shipping News is storytelling genius. Proulx (pronounced
Pru) vividly describes the beauty of Newfoundland, and its laid-back
atmosphere. The characters are drawn with the same clarity as
the landscape.
Quoyle,
an unintelligent, unattractive, third-rate newspaperman,
goes through some hard times in the United States. After
the death of his abusive wife, he and his two daughters
follow his Aunt Hamm to Newfoundland to trace their roots,
and start a new life.
Once
the family arrives in Killick-Claw, Quoyle finds himself
working for the local newspaper, The Gammy Bird, writing
about car wrecks, and (what else?) the shipping news.
Why
did this novel win the NBA? Primarily because of the description
and atmosphere. This is a complex coming-of-age story about
a man with numerous problems. It is important for women
to read it because it is sometimes easy to forget that men
can be unhappy, or in bad relationships, or feel ugly and
inferior. Quoyle is a very humorous and lovable character,
and is easy to relate to. Proulx says, "I believe if
you get the landscape right, the characters will step out
of it, and they'll be in the right place. The story will
come from the landscape." And what a beautiful story
it is.
And,
of course, the other reason to read this book is because
it is going to be a movie, released late December/early
January, starring Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett,
and Judi Dench. What a wonderful cast! Now that you've got
the inside track, take some of your holiday time to read
the book before the movie!
"...a
darkly comic and sometimes magical portrait of a contemporary
American family." - Ingram
"...earthy
and intelligent..." - Newsday
"The
Shipping News enlightens readers to the powers of (Proulx's)
storytelling genius and her expert evocation of time and
place." - Simon & Schuster
