I was first drawn to this book because of the challenge of a daughter writing in her father's voice. With characteristic elegance, Miriam Toews reveals the humor and tragedy of her father's life. And in a few beautiful moments in the book, her voice breaks into his and, far from being jarring, captures intense love and grief.

We are lucky to gain insight into depression and anxiety through the life of the author's father Mel Toews. Miriam Toews tell her father's story, his journey through a life defined by mental illness, with honest, respect, candor and great beauty. ( )

I adored Miriam Toews' "A Complicated Kindness" and the movie that was made from her book "The Flying Troutmans", so I was interested to read this book, which is a biography of her father written from his first person perspective. Not the usual biography. He took his own life in his early 60's after a lifetime of living with bipolar disorder. Towards the end he was hospitalized and during this period he found it helpful to recall episodes from his past, which his daughter wrote down. After his death, she found writing his story from his point of view helped her make sense of his suicide. It's quite an amazing read. Intimate, sad, funny, human. ( )

I have read other books by Miriam Toews and thought they were exceptional especially All My Puny Sorrows. When I read about this book which is a loving tribute to her father I knew I wanted to read it so it has been on the TBR pile for some time. Mel Toews was diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 17 and medicated thereafter but perhaps treatment in small town Manitoba was not the best!. He was an accomplished teacher, community member and a devoted church goer however he had frequent and severe bouts of depression that greatly impacted his life and relationships. There is a great deal of personal family history described from living in a small and tight Mennonite community. Miriam Toews wrote this intimate book from copious notes her father had left trying to sort through his challenges. Miriam Toews is such a good writer!

For me it is a bit of a strange image on the cover of the book as young Mel Toews worked hard for his father's egg business which he hated doing, so while the image might reflect for some new life/goodness/nourishment, it was really the worst image for young Mel Toews and really meant an obligation and duty to his family which was a struggle for him. So I don't understand the thinking behind the cover choice!

In November 2016 Toews was awarded $ 50,000 from the Writer's Trust Fellowship. CBC reporting about this award said.....
"Toews is known for her moving, poetic novels that explore the complicated binds of family life, infused with a hilarity that often ensues from tragedy.........Toews is the second Canadian writer to receive the prestigious award. The Writers' Trust plans to award three fellows over a period of three years in the run-up to Canada's 150th birthday in 2017. The inaugural recipient, named in 2015, was Michael Crummey, author of Sweetland and Little Dogs." ( )

Swing Low is an unusual book in that it's a first-person memoir written by the narrator's daughter. Renowned Canadian author Miriam Toews grew up in small town Manitoba where her father was a popular school teacher. Outside of school, unfortunately, he was a sick man and struggled with bipolar disorder and eventually committed suicide. Toew's book honours his life and struggle.

I admit that I had trouble getting into the book at first. It seemed an aimless string of bits about his mental confusion, interspersed with bits about him hassling the nurses at the hospital. I was rather annoyed because I couldn't see where it was going, and couldn't figure out how the book earned so many 4-and 5-star reader reviews. But then it clicked, and I was entranced. Toews writes simple stories, vignettes, really, that put together tell the story of a kind, gentle, but very ill man. Her writing isn't fancy or show offy (in honour of her father's simple Mennonite traditions, perhaps?), but every page is filled with clarity and beauty. And sadness.

Note: her more recent novel, My Puny Sorrows, was influenced by her sister's suicide, which happened years after Swing Low was published. So much sadness. ( )