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A review by katykelly
Fight Night by Miriam Toews
5.0
Three generations of strong females in a witty family narrative
The scattershot approach to narrative took a little while to settle into, but I adored this very quickly. Narrated by a precocious 9 year old in a family of tough but quirky women, Swiv (it's never made clear what this is short for) observes her pregnant mother navigating her theatre job whilst keeping the family afloat. And her energetic but medicated grandmother ("Today she has the Triple Scoop Sundae. Gout, trigeminal neuralgia, angina. With a topping of arthritis") attempts to home school Swiv - excluded for fighting - in some fairly unconventional subjects.
"...Maths Class... If you've got a two thousand-piece puzzle of an Amish farm and you manage to add three pieces to the puzzle per day, how many more days will you need to stay alive to get it done?"
Swiv is certainly getting an education. Bright, probing and telling us about everything she sees and hears around her, we really are listening in to family conversations at the same time as understanding Swiv's thoughts on subjects that often go above her level of understanding. Swiv is writing all this to a father who left.
And so we share living space with these three ladies over the course of several weeks, as they interact, care for each other, and wait for the arrival of Gord, Swiv's gestating sibling.
It's absolutely hilarious, not just the family and interactions but Swiv's interpretations of them. And it builds to a climax both bittersweet and perfect, that left me wanting to return to Swiv's life later to see how they are doing.
Some marvellous writing here. Not the easiest of beach reads, but three wonderful female characters navigating the modern world with strength and humour. A recommendation.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
The scattershot approach to narrative took a little while to settle into, but I adored this very quickly. Narrated by a precocious 9 year old in a family of tough but quirky women, Swiv (it's never made clear what this is short for) observes her pregnant mother navigating her theatre job whilst keeping the family afloat. And her energetic but medicated grandmother ("Today she has the Triple Scoop Sundae. Gout, trigeminal neuralgia, angina. With a topping of arthritis") attempts to home school Swiv - excluded for fighting - in some fairly unconventional subjects.
"...Maths Class... If you've got a two thousand-piece puzzle of an Amish farm and you manage to add three pieces to the puzzle per day, how many more days will you need to stay alive to get it done?"
Swiv is certainly getting an education. Bright, probing and telling us about everything she sees and hears around her, we really are listening in to family conversations at the same time as understanding Swiv's thoughts on subjects that often go above her level of understanding. Swiv is writing all this to a father who left.
And so we share living space with these three ladies over the course of several weeks, as they interact, care for each other, and wait for the arrival of Gord, Swiv's gestating sibling.
It's absolutely hilarious, not just the family and interactions but Swiv's interpretations of them. And it builds to a climax both bittersweet and perfect, that left me wanting to return to Swiv's life later to see how they are doing.
Some marvellous writing here. Not the easiest of beach reads, but three wonderful female characters navigating the modern world with strength and humour. A recommendation.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.