Marcia Butler

This review starts with a caveat: the moose’s presence in this novel is not a quirky, funny plot device like the moose that strolls into town in the TV series “Northern Exposure.” Instead, the book opens with a depiction of animal suffering that was so well-written that I was furious with the author for shoving this imagery into my brain. I seriously considered stopping right there and not giving any feedback. Instead I turned up the narration speed and blasted through the opening.

This story of the Roys, the Kimbroughs, and the Sibleys is pretty standard fare – family conflicts, convenient surprise plot twists. Still, the story is engaging, and I attribute this to Butler’s excellent character development.
Claude and Celine Roy, parents of the child Pierre, have their faults. Either of them could have been painted purely as a villain but instead, the author presents them in their completeness; they love each other, they fail each other, they fail Pierre, they love Pierre. They fail themselves. Pierre is the character around whom the entire novel revolves; he is painted with skill and compassion.

Jim and Sandra Kimbrough also have backstories, and their marriage is complex. Jim has his faults. The character we know the less about is Sandra; although certainly human in her emotions, she is an observer rather than a participant. Claude refers to her as the saint, and Claude and I are in agreement. (Sandra bears a remarkable resemblance to the author, herself a musician and, based on her public photos, similar in appearance to Sandra.)

We know less about the Sibleys, who are necessary and convenient characters with secrets of their own.

Narrator Charlie Thurston is a bright spot in this audiobook; his narration is unhurried and rings true. Volume is consistent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.… (plus d'informations)

This book starts with a girl on a bridge. A man has jumped. Stan and his wife, Karen, both in a drunken state, almost hit her, and in doing so, their lives change. They call Stan’s twin brother, Pickle, a policeman, to get them out of trouble. They take the girl, Junie, into their home. They try to stop drinking. Pickle decides to pursue a romance with Junie, even though she has just experienced a major trauma. It also contains an awkward love triangle. The characters’ backstories are imparted through flashbacks.

This story sets a new bar for unlikeable characters, though I did like the dog. I can deal with unlikeable characters if there is some underlying thought-provoking message, but I didn’t find such a message here. The usual contemporary sensationalistic themes are included: vulgarity, graphic sex, drugs, psychopathic behavior, infidelity, greed, control, abuse, and disturbing childhood memories. I usually like character studies, but this one tries to tackle too many dysfunctions, and, in the end, I didn’t feel did a good job with any of them. The attributes discussed in relation to suicide were particularly ill-informed and distasteful to me. It will likely engender strong feelings of either like or dislike.

I received an advance reader’s copy from the publisher via NetGalley. It is scheduled to be published on April 9, 2019.… (plus d'informations)

Twelve-year-old Pierre Roy, because of a head injury, suffers memory issues. His father Claude has difficulty accepting the changes in his son while his mother Celine numbs herself with pills. Their neighbour, Sandra Kimbrough, teaches Pierre how to play the violin, and he proves to have exceptional talent. Music becomes his solace while life swirls around him.

The narrative moves among Claude and Celine, Sandra and her husband Jim, and two other residents in Oslo: Edna Sibley and her grandson Luc who has intellectual challenges. All the adults have secrets which the reader gradually learns. Connections among various characters are also revealed. Another character who makes periodic appearances and whose perspective is given is a moose who roams the area around Oslo.

One cannot but feel a lot of sympathy for Pierre. Because of an accident, he has difficulty remembering for even short periods of time. As a result, he is bullied at school. His parents are little help; they are more concerned about themselves. Claude is despicable; when he first appears in the novel, he mulls over “the specific disappointments he felt with regard to his son”: he thinks of Pierre as weak and hates that his son loves to read and play the violin. For Claude, Pierre is “an embarrassment.” In addition, Claude’s illegal activities and his behaviour in the past are deplorable. Celine is very much an absent mother; she takes pills so she doesn’t have to face reality. Not only does she neglect her son, but she is deceitful and disloyal to “the best person Celine had ever known.” The moose’s care and concern for her calf exceeds the care Pierre receives from his parents.

The book touches on a number of difficult topics: physical violence, sexual violence, adultery, animal cruelty. My issue is not the novel’s subject matter but its purpose. What is it trying to say? A theme could be the power of music. Another could be the interconnectedness of the human and natural world because every time the two worlds collide, there are major consequences. If the moose had been left alone, Pierre’s family might not have disintegrated. Is the message that the natural world has much to teach humans? Is the message that we need to focus on the present? Things turn around when Claude takes responsibility for his actions. Is that supposed to be a moral?

The portrayal of the moose is not convincing. I don’t believe in heaven for humans so have difficulty accepting a “risen-animal world.” We are to accept that a moose would worry about the fate of a dead calf: “Would he rise? Would he ever enter the animal world beyond?” It’s not clear why disposing of an animal in a dump means “her calf would rise.” And then we are to believe that an animal can commit suicide? The anthropomorphism just doesn’t work.

What also does not work is the ending. The epilogue offers too much of a happily-ever-after ending. Edna solves everything for virtually everyone? A moose “brought [Pierre] to understand the beauty of now”? So the capture of an animal is acceptable if it inadvertently teaches someone to not worry about the past or the future but to see the value of the present?

I enjoyed the portrayal of life in rural Maine; the book is realistic in this respect. However, the anthropomorphism of the moose doesn’t work, and the development of theme is scattered. The overall effect is to leave the reader puzzled about what he/she just read.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).… (plus d'informations)

OSLO, MAINE, by Marcia Butler, has a giant beast that is driving force throughout the book, a moose. Everything that happens in the book relates to the moose. But the book is so much more than the moose, it is a story of flawed humanity, of wishes and fears and failures, of finding hope in life by taking chances, not hiding from them. Pierre Roy, a twelve year old boy, is they other key cog in the book. He has lost his memory due to an accident, and the people that he is closely associated with are all affected by his accident and it's aftermath each in their own way. Forced to revaluate what is important in life, each person finds a way forward that isn't necessarily right or wrong, but it works for them.
Butler creates a motley crew of characters, many of which are relatable to people that readers have come across in their lives.. A big theme throughout the book is pride. Pride in appearance, pride in family, pride in morality, etc. Butler seems to posit that we all have pride and it is how we carry that around with us is what's important, because so often pride can be someone's downfall. The book takes a long time to get going and it seemed to meander around the town and the people well into the second half of the book, but as everyone starts to consider what's important to them, coupled with the stakes of the plot growing, the novel becomes quite exciting in the end.
OSLO, MAINE has a little bit of everything: laughter, tears, hope, disappointment, but something it has more than anything else is heart. From the setting, to the characters, to even the moose, this book has a soul, one that cries, loves, and above all, questions the meaning of life.
Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing, Marcia Butler, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!… (plus d'informations)