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A review by serendipitysbooks
Abundance by Jakob Guanzon
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Imagine a life where all the money you had in your pocket was a handful of loose change and that was all the money you had period. Imagine that today is your son’s eighth birthday and that you want to make it special for him. And imagine trying to do this while homeless with your sole income coming from casual poorly paid day labouring jobs. That’s the reality faced by Henry, one we get to share in Abundance, my final read from the Aspen Words Literary Prize longlist.
Rather than being headed with numbers Abundance’s chapters are headed with the amount of money Henry has at the time. It’s an effective way of highlighting his desperate financial reality, something the book starkly portrays. Ketchup sachets are forever changed in my eyes.
The book has two main timelines. The first unfolds in little more than 24 hours - Junior’s birthday and some of the subsequent day. Interspersed are chapter’s showing how Henry came to be at this point in his life. I have mixed feelings about this. I was much more invested in the present day storyline and found myself irritated when we jumped back in time. In addition the past storyline highlights some poor choices made by Henry including drug dealing and domestic violence. Which forced me to think. And isn’t that what a good book should do? Why should Henry be a perfect character to warrant sympathy, empathy, compassion? Shouldn’t everyone regardless of their background and choices, be entitled to a life of dignity with ready access to at least basic food and shelter?
In the present storyline I was simultaneously rooting for Henry (if only he could catch one simple break) and wanting to rail against some of his choices. Again this forced me to ponder. Why might someone in Henry’s position not seek emergency housing, food stamps and the like? What barriers discourage people from accessing these services? How do you make good choices if you don’t have good options?
Abundance is a well-told story about a flawed man trying to do his best within a broken system. It highlights the brutal yet everyday realities of poverty, the impossible choices it forces people to make, the resulting, pressure,desperation, degradation.
Rather than being headed with numbers Abundance’s chapters are headed with the amount of money Henry has at the time. It’s an effective way of highlighting his desperate financial reality, something the book starkly portrays. Ketchup sachets are forever changed in my eyes.
The book has two main timelines. The first unfolds in little more than 24 hours - Junior’s birthday and some of the subsequent day. Interspersed are chapter’s showing how Henry came to be at this point in his life. I have mixed feelings about this. I was much more invested in the present day storyline and found myself irritated when we jumped back in time. In addition the past storyline highlights some poor choices made by Henry including drug dealing and domestic violence. Which forced me to think. And isn’t that what a good book should do? Why should Henry be a perfect character to warrant sympathy, empathy, compassion? Shouldn’t everyone regardless of their background and choices, be entitled to a life of dignity with ready access to at least basic food and shelter?
In the present storyline I was simultaneously rooting for Henry (if only he could catch one simple break) and wanting to rail against some of his choices. Again this forced me to ponder. Why might someone in Henry’s position not seek emergency housing, food stamps and the like? What barriers discourage people from accessing these services? How do you make good choices if you don’t have good options?
Abundance is a well-told story about a flawed man trying to do his best within a broken system. It highlights the brutal yet everyday realities of poverty, the impossible choices it forces people to make, the resulting, pressure,desperation, degradation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Violence