I'm a big fan of Proulx's Shipping News and short stories, but this novel is tough to read. If it were marketed as a loose collection of short stories I would not be in the least bit disappointed. Don't look for plot in this novel - there is none. It's a series of character sketches.</p><p>The theme is immigrant America, and she follows Italians, Mexicans, Germans, Cajuns, Scandinavians, Poles, etc.etc., all connected very loosely by the same accordian. Very loosely. I was expecting something more like "The Red Violin". This is not even close.
Terrible things happen to every immigrant. No one leads a happy life in this book. I usually love novels like that ("Hell at the Breech"), but in this case the lack of any plot spoils it for me. Terrible story follows terrible story and I start to wonder what her message is - or if there is one.
She is at master at character and scene though. Every page had an image or characterization that I admired.
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