late nights on air
being a former resident of yellowknife, northwest territories, i was thrilled to hear that elizabeth hay’s latest novel, LATE NIGHTS ON AIR was set in yellowknife. admittedly, the story is set in 1975, five years before our green station wagon and grey car arrived to the north, but still…i was very excited. and ecstatic when my father in law bought me the book for christmas.
i have promised to lend him the book, so doug, please don’t read this review any further.
i really wanted to love this book, and indeed, aspects of the book i truly enjoyed. being able to picture streets, locations, sights. appreciating how the author attempted to write the near impossible sound made by ravens. descriptions of the very cold weather, the sudden arrival of winter, the non existence of autumn.how some arrive in yellowknife for a "fresh start" and how others simply fizzle and burn due to a saturation of confinement. alcohol and boredom.
but i couldn’t care less about the protagonists. dido paris wasn’t nearly as interesting as her name, and i couldn’t understand the fascination. i suppose harry is interesting, but i guess i met too many guys like him when i was in yellowknife to find him anything special. the supporting characters were noteworthy, although hay did not do them justice, and her secondary and interesting story of the berger inquiry on the pipeline hangs there as a stalemate. i remember being in the classroom and doing a project on the pipeline in 1981, how it might affect migration patterns…the author never really wraps that up or into the story.
by the end of the story, the one person i cared about had love denied, and after that, i really didn’t care any more. when one couple is reunited, it’s too little too late. they don’t have any sustainability and i really didn’t care any more.
even though i left the north, i do love it, and sadly, lyrical descriptions aside, i did not love this book. which is unfortunate because hay is a talented writer. this seems like a harsh review and i hope it is not too contradictory to say i did enjoy the book very much, mainly because of reasons listed above. there is a lot of description there.
the book has also been nominated for a giller prize, which shows just how crap my reviewing talents can be! don’t trust me, read it yourself.
my book club is also reading "we need to talk about kevin" if you want to send me your thoughts about that. i am finished it, don’t worry about ruining the beginning for me.
otherwise, it was a good day. i had a neuro appointment and that is where i was able to finish the book. 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading waiting to see the doctor and then another 20 waiting to pick up the medication. and the dr said good things. i am a bit worried because my blood levels haven’t been taken in a year or so, and my liver probably needs to be checked up on, and also, i have had a headache for the last 6 months, so it is probably time for an mri. but otherwise, im pretty pleased that i can waltz in there and say no seizures for seven months.
on the not so good side….two days after finishing my medication….my throat is sore again, unmistakeably. ouch ouch ouch. tomorrow i am in search of a good dr.
