where are you reading Larry's Party?

(In my mom's backyard, Friday afternoon.)

I heart several things about Larry's Party, including the cover art, which was provided by Carol Shields and perfectly illustrates the main character's endless self-study and perpetual, selfish childishness.

One of the things I like very much is how Larry as a character is something of a roving target, a person whose likes and dislikes and bits and pieces move with time. So the decision to lock into his life about once a year, and tell a story about where he's at at any given time seems to reflect the fluidity of living.

Take, for example, Larry on his 30th birthday:

"....he's supposed to be sunk in gloom at the thought of turning thirty, but he isn't. He's unique and mortal, he knows that...." (p. 42)

Versus, his 40th birthday:

"Beth believes that 'it' is like a novel with its ups and downs of plot.... What Larry's going through is a natural phase. A chapter. A passing condition, this inflation of sadness....

"He doesn't want 'it' to blow away, that's the catch.

"When he wakes in the middle of the night, three o'clock, four o'clock, he is immediately alert to the presence of 'it' in the room, so close he could reach out and take it in his hand and marvel at the faithfulness and constancy of an 'it' that has chosen him and now resolutely hangs on...." (p. 168)

Perhaps my take on Larry's uneasy selfishness will change as I finish this novel, but at the moment, I have to admit it's sort of a treat to climb inside this ridiculous man's head. He is so unlike Daisy Goodwill, the main character in The Stone Diaries. While her voice often seems overwritten by the thoughts, feelings and interpretations of all those around her, Larry is light and easy. He is a man who accidentally steals a jacket, then justifies it, then tosses the coat altogether -- effectively losing two coats in one day -- and just moves on. At the same time, he constantly allows himself to sink into the teeniest crevices of the smallest problems. Ultimately, I suppose the very first tale, of Larry's stealing the jacket, is the perfect template for how he handles life in general.... But maybe I'll find myself wrong once I actually get to Larry's Party, the final chapter of the book.

a woman's life

So... I'm all into self-reflection mode.

Apologies if you're already bored by this particular phase, which is most notably marked by a new blog I've created to chronicle the months ahead.

In keeping with this theme, however, I thought I'd share my brief thoughts on Carol Shields's exquisite book, The Stone Diaries. Really, these thoughts boil down to a fervent recommendation -- once you start this novel, you can't stop reading.

Meant to be written as though it were a woman's autobiography, the book settles into the quiet moments of her life. Chapters are sketched out as "birth," "childhood," "marriage," "love," "motherhood," "work," "sorrow," "ease," "illness and decline," and "death." In some ways, this boils a life down to the highlights, not the drama. If I could compare it to anything, the idea is something similar to a Canadian history text book, full of general summaries highlighted by key moments.

Does that make it sound boring? It really isn't. The point I'm really trying to make is that Shields had this absolutely magical way of telling stories about life the way life can actually be. Which is impressive and inspirational.

As for Daisy Goodwill, the subject of this book.... Well, there are few sadder lines than one of her last in the novel. I'd compare it, honestly, to the confusion of the main character in Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel. (SPOILER ALERT) The line is, well, sort of chilling in its simplicity: "'I am not at peace.' -- Daisy Goodwill's final (unspoken) words."

An excerpt to consider:

"Life is an endless recruiting of witnesses. It seems we need to be observed in our postures of extravagance or shame, we need attention paid to us. Our own memory is altogether too cherishing, which is the kindest thing I can say for it. Other accounts are required, other perspectives, but even so our most important ceremonies -- birth, love, and death -- are secured by whomever and whatever is available." (p. 36-37)

Next up?

Well, what are you guys reading?

I'm reading Joseph Boyden's Born With A Tooth, which continues to highlight -- for me, at least -- Boyden's amazing style.

I'm also reading book blogs here and here, which I think you might enjoy. Too Many Books in the Kitchen is starkly analytical and challenging, while Is Well Read tells the stories of keen readers, some we know, some in war zones, some just witty and, um, well read?