REVIEW

Larry’s Party by Carol Shields is the tenth book I’ve read this year already. I loved the beginning, was bored in the middle and felt irritated by the end. At first the format inspired me to make notes for a future project. She tells the story of this guy’s life in sections two years apart and the writing is just wonderful but I don’t think the whole thing is as good as some of its parts.

The only character who is never more than a sketch is the son; I gave her the benefit of the doubt in that the musing is from a man; I thought she might be Showing quite literally how a man thinks about his life – rather than Telling, to make her point. If that is indeed what she was doing then she’s been successful – that was the most noticeable thing for me. Larry’s son barely had a mention and Larry didn’t know how to talk to him…which brings me to my point – I recognise that because my ex can’t talk to his kids.

What the hell is wrong with these men? Their kids are human; more human than a guy in the pub – so why are they terrified?

‘Aye, so ah jist thought I’d phone ye. So, yer awright then? Aye, so, howz things?’

See what I mean. My daughter can get a slightly better conversation out of her father than my son. I’ve heard that man talk to strangers about nothing and sound more intelligent than he does in the company of my children; they seem to strike him dumb and stupid.

I can’t believe that Carol Shields would write a book and not realise that one of the principle characters in the protagonist’s life was as two-dimensional as a passport photo behind glass – she won the Pulitzer Prize! So I’ll have to bow to her brilliance and congratulate her on a very clever piece of work.