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Canada Reads 2016: Book #4: The Illegal by Lawrence Hill

My 4th book review for Canada Reads 2016...A sad disappointment. I hope all of Canada doesn't have to suffer through it.

Book summary from Goodreads.com:

All Keita has ever wanted to do is to run. Running means respect and wealth at home. His native Zantoroland, a fictionalized country whose tyrants are eerily familiar, turns out the fastest marathoners on earth. But after his journalist father is killed for his outspoken political views, Keita must flee to the wealthy nation of Freedom State—a country engaged in a crackdown on all undocumented people.

There, Keita becomes a part of the new underground. He learns what it means to live as an illegal: surfacing to earn cash prizes by running local races and assessing whether the people he meets will be kind or turn him in. As the authorities seek to arrest Keita, he strives to elude capture and ransom his sister, who has been kidnapped.

Set in an imagined country bearing a striking resemblance to our own, this tension-filled novel casts its eye on race, human potential, and what it means to belong.

Is it fair to expect a certain quality of writing from a writer who has delivered excellence in earlier work? I say yes. If you know what an author is capable of, then you come to expect a certain level of work. The Illegal is a great example of an author, who is clearly able to write a rich, multi faceted novel, but who opts for a quick, superficial page turner. It's contrived and simplistic. It tells the story rather than shows the reader.

Here's what I posted to Goodreads.com:

Such a disappointment from such a great author. I was expecting so much more, as I know Mr Hill can deliver on all levels when he wants to.
Is seems totally contrived, lazily written with little attempt to really develop characters and rich story lines. This is highlighted by the author inventing the country of origin for the protagonist, and inventing the land that represents freedom and safety. For me, this really undermined the entire novel, and signalled trouble right from the start.
One of the most contrived episodes happens in a popular brothel. While video taping the actions of prostitutes at work, the camera man, who is a young boy, captures footage of the country's Prime Minister engaging in lascivious actions. Rather than exploring this astounding turn of events, the author glosses over it, and leaves the reader hanging.
Mr Hill can do so much better. I expect more from him, because he is more talented that this novel would suggest. 

Inconceivable events take place without a moment's consideration. An example of this is when the
young John Falconer, is hiding with video camera in hand,  inside an armoire in brothel and the Prime Minister of the country walks in as a paying customer to be services by a prostitute. He captures the entire scene on tape and the story continues without appropriate reaction. How ridiculous.

I find it totally distracting that the author has opted to invent the country of origin of the protagonist and also invented the country that represents freedom to him--conveniently names Freedom State.

I wanted this book to end as quickly as Keita could run. I hope it doesn't win Canada Reads 2016. It's not worthy.

Canada Reads 2016 #3: Birdie

 To date, my favorite novel in 2016's Canada Reads competition.

Here's a summary provided by Goodreads.com:

Birdie is a darkly comic and moving first novel about the universal experience of recovering from wounds of the past, informed by the lore and knowledge of Cree traditions. Bernice Meetoos, a Cree woman, leaves her home in Northern Alberta following tragedy and travels to Gibsons, BC. She is on something of a vision quest, seeking to understand the messages from The Frugal Gourmet (one of the only television shows available on CBC North) that come to her in her dreams. She is also driven by the leftover teenaged desire to meet Pat Johns, who played Jesse on The Beachcombers, because he is, as she says, a working, healthy Indian man. Bernice heads for Molly’s Reach to find answers but they are not the ones she expected.

With the arrival in Gibsons of her Auntie Val and her cousin Skinny Freda, Bernice finds the strength to face the past and draw the lessons from her dreams that she was never fully taught in life. Part road trip, dream quest and travelogue, the novel touches on the universality of women's experience, regardless of culture or race. 

Slow to start, and a challenge to understand. The story is somewhat segmented at first, and it takes some time to figure out the narrative. That being said, the level of creativity in this novel is commendable. It's unlike anything I've ever read, and I found it really engaging.

Layered with Cree language and beautiful imagery.  I loved the author's playful creation of compound words.

I hope that Canada and the world get the opportunity to discover this story, and this author. It is a special book.