How sad is it that as soon as I started to work at Chapters, I never had any time to read? Shutter Island has been sitting neglected on my toilet for almost a millennium it seems. I’m getting my shit together this year so there will be lots more time for literature and there are tons of books to be read for all of my English classes! Any doodle let’s do this I must make my review grand.
A Complicated Kindness is a fiercely original story about the ties that bind families together and the forces that tear them apart. This is the world according to Nomi Nickel, a bewildered and wry young woman trapped in a small Mennonite town that seeks to set her on the path to righteousness and smother her at the same time. as Nomi searches for the truth behind the recent disappearance of her mother and sister, she finds herself on a direct collision course with the only community she has ever known. This is a book that has found its way into the hearts of thousands of Canadians, Miriam Toews reveals herself as a master storyteller at the height of her powers.
The description is correct when talking about how original A Complicated Kindness is. Toews conveys the story through Nomi in a way that isn’t like anything that I’ve read before. Nomi isn’t a very reliable narrator, she’s usually drunk or high or just distant from the present happenings in front of her, so pay attention to detail. The fact she is lost in her past allows the reader to slowly sum things together, as each memory reveals a clue to what makes Nomi the way she is.
Family and hope are the focus in terms of theme. Nomi and her family members are trapped in a religions system that does not agree with them. All of them struggle to deal with various forms of oppression and conflict. At the time when things are really tense for Trudie and Tash (Nomi’s mother and sister) Nomi is still a child and does not fully understand the situation, where the reader does. This is one of the reason’s that Nomi is chosen as a narrator; her viewpoint is unique. Although the family is broken apart, there are acts of kindness in between the sad parts. Despite witnessing so much going wrong, Nomi has hope for a different life.
This novel doesn’t have a typical structure in terms of plot, climax and a resolution. If you’re looking for a satisfying ending or a character you can sympathise with, then I wouldn’t recommend this read. A Complicated Kindness is for a person who is looking for a divergent story, a story that requires the mental stamina of a detective.
Definitely a 4.5 OUT OF 5 kind of novel. It was awesome but wasn’t a winner. If you want to learn more about Toews click the link: http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/miriam-toews/
Until next time
- MRR
