Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful
Review: This is a wonderful book about the many types of love and all of its highs and lows. I expected this book to win the Booker, and was shocked when it didn't make the short list. What an injustice! This book is about Louise and Abel, two kids who don't fit in and they become friends. The story is told by Louise at different ages, so time seems jump forward and backward, and yet the story is cohesive and flows perfectly. It is painful to read about Abel's problems and even more painful to read about Louise's inability to allow herself to be loved and her frustration with Abel. Louise and Abel are both complex, and Gowdy should receive praise for her success at creating two rich and fascinating individuals that are likeable, yet flawed, and even more likeable because they are flawed. I recommend this book and would be surprised if someone DIDN'T like it.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: This is the first book by Gowdy I've read, and I feel lucky that I happened to find this true literary gem. The characters are ordinary people with ordinary lives, but they are made extraordinary through Gowdy's profound insights, humour, and her obvious ability to give her characters great emotional depth. The two main characters are Louise and Abel, who grown up on the same street in suburban Toronto in the 60s. Both are only children in families that defy the nuclear norm, and as is typical of children, because they are different they are subsequently outcasted from their peer group. Their strong friendship is an oasis for Louise, and Abel lets Louise into his world of exploring the ravine in their neighbourhood. The great dialouge and humour in the book can be illustrated by this passage: "On our second date, at a French restaurant, I learn that he's an accountant who 'came this close' to being married once. 'It wasn't meant to be,' he says easily. I am warmed by his optimism and by how his eyes soften when we talk about Peter, and yet, by dessert, it's clear that there won't be a third date. 'I can't believe it,' he says after I admit that Peter's tournament was not only the first game of baseball I'd ever sat through, but the first game of sports, period. He says, 'You mean to tell me you never rooted for your high school football team?' He sounds truly puzzled. What I find unbelievable is that the only books he own are "Ask a Handyman" and "The World Almanac of Natural Disasters". The story's main theme is love, with all of its different forms and all of its dynamics. Parental love is a prominent feature, as Louise's relationship with her mother is analyzed, along with the Richter's parental influence. The cycle of romantic love and all the craziness of it are touched upon, with a message about love's ability to both heal and destroy. Louise seems unable to truly love anyone but Abel, despite that Abel doesn't have the same love for her, and Louise tries to move on with her life without Abel in it by working in menial jobs and dating other men, who she always rejects even when they are delightful, because they are not Abel. It is painful to read her behaving like a idiot, despite that she is clearly intelligent. The self-destructive nature of book Abel and Louise is an interesting commentary on how trauma in our childhood can shape us, and yet at the same time the alcoholic in this novel is not the person with the absent mother who treated her as if she was a dress-up doll, but instead is the artistic individual with adoring parents, lots of talent and opportunity, and a vast array of friends. I highly recommend this book. The honesty, insights, and wisdom that come from this book are remarkable, and the story is beautifully haunting and touching.
| 
