Canada Reads, Day 1

Posted 25 February, 2008 in Canada Reads |

Steven: The opening salvos in CBC Radio One’s battle of the books have been fired, as the 2008 version of Canada Reads kicked off today. The panelists proved to be a lively lot, and they don’t seem shy about crossing swords, which should provide for some entertaining repartée as the week progresses.

The broadcast opened with each panelist providing reasons for why they chose the particular book they did. Lisa Moore said that the stories in From the Fifteenth District were “as rich, as complex, and as emotionally engaging as any single novel,” and called every story in the book “a masterpiece.” Zaib Shaikh praised Not Wanted on the Voyage as representative of an author’s imagination and a reckoning with the idea of spirituality — “what it means to be human and what it means to be divine.” Dave Bidini said that King Leary “made me the writer I am today … It’s as funny as it is emotional as it is sad.” Jemeni singled out the polarities in Brown Girl in the Ring — “It’s so beautiful and yet violent” — and said that the Caribbean-Canadian characters are people that she could recognize as part of her Canada. Only retired astronaut Steve MacLean, asked to talk about Icefields, disappointed, giving more of a plot summary than an argument for why he chose the book.

Icefields was the first title to be debated by the entire panel. Jemeni confessed to being disinterested by the book and Shaikh felt no strong reaction one way or the other. He did suggest that it rips off The English Patient in its style (for which, a case could be made). Lisa Moore “kind of loved” the book, which she called “Cormac McCarthyesque,” but she felt that it “stuck to the tropes of the historical novel” and she didn’t care for the archetypal “strong, fiery” female character in it.

Moving on to Mavis Gallant, who became an early contender to be first voted off, Bidini confessed to being unmoved by From the Fifteenth District, which he found “precious and fine” and “impenetrable,” and which he likened to “tapping on glass” or visiting a museum exhibit. Shaikh said that he felt as though he’d read all the stories before, which elicited the day’s best retort, from Moore: “They were all ripping off her.” Jemeni found too many of the stories too absorbed in the “minutiae of the everyday,” but MacLean “became a convert,” saying that the writing is so concentrated that “if you miss one word, you will miss what [Gallant’s] saying.”

Defending Gallant’s work, Moore commented that From the Fifteenth District is not a book that comes with a laugh track, which prompted Bidini to make the most indefensible comment of the show, saying that there’s no humour in it at all.

Turning their attention to King Leary, MacLean became very specific, singling out the scene of the monks playing hockey “in chapter twenty-eight.” That section “really resonated with me,” but he felt that the dramatic sections didn’t work as well, and the presentation of King Clancy as a nasty, arrogant, unsympathetic man was troublesome. Moore, who hates hockey, confessed to loving the voice in the book, calling it “beautiful, lovely, generous.” Shaikh said that King Leary was his favourite read after Not Wanted on the Voyage, but wondered whether the hockey subject would appeal to new Canadians. For her part, Jemeni “absolutely fell in love with it.”

So, some good reviews for Quarrington, mixed for Wharton, and it’s not looking good for Gallant. Tune in tomorrow to find out which book is the first to be voted off, and which four will prevail to fight another day.

Alex:

Day One:

Day one sounded like a bit of a love-fest. I think every panelist is on record for having loved at least a couple of the books. Lisa Moore even “kind of loved” Icefields. There was just a whole lot of love to go around. But also some knives being sharpened . . .

Here are my observations:

(1) As we both predicted, Gallant is in trouble right off the bat. Bidini thought she was impenetrable, her writing “too beautiful,” and likened reading her to a museum visit. Shaikh agreed, comparing her to Nicole Kidman (nice to look at, but not someone he’d like to date). Jemini took the same tack (even reusing the Kidman reference). MacLean seemed a bit put out that he couldn’t read her in bed. I don’t see how this book makes it out of the first couple of rounds.

(2) King Leary is looking strong. Everyone loves it but MacLean, and his objection to it — that it constitutes a smear of King Clancy! — is WEAK.

(3) I’m thinking Not Wanted on the Voyage is going to be the other tough contender. Shaikh came across as by far the strongest panelist. He’s got his shit together, bringing “patriarchy” and environmental issues to the table in his opening comments. He didn’t even have to play the fundamentalism card.

(4) I think Icefields might be in trouble too. Jemini and Moore seemed lukewarm to it at best. Shaikh compared it to The English Patient. That guy is GOOD.

Steven: I agree with you, Alex, about Shaikh’s strengths as a panelist, but I do confess to feeling a bit put off by his comment that he was “offended” by the Gallant story “The Moslem Wife.” It struck me as a kind of overly PC reaction that failed to take into account the story’s historical or cultural context. However, I dug the comparison of Icefields to The English Patient, although I think we both agree that the former is much more enjoyable than the latter.

1 comment to “Canada Reads, Day 1”

Brenda Schmidt, February 25th, 2008 at 11:24 pm:

• Ok, you guys have caught my interest. I just might have to break the silence and turn on the radio.

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