05 Dec Happy Birthday, Mom…& Happy December Reading, LOL!
It’s December 5th, so the first thing I have to say, before I even introduce LOL’s next novel, is: Happy Birthday, Mom! She’d probably get mad if I told you how old she is, but let’s just say, she looks amazing and I’m proud of her.
So then, back to books…While we don’t officially meet in the month of December (holiday festivities dominate our schedules) we do read in preparation for January’s meeting, which will be held at LOL member, Judy’s house. And Judy’s selection is:
Annabel by Montreal writer, Kathleen Winter.
“Set in 1968 in remote, coastal Labrador, a mysterious child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor girl, but both at once.”
Here’s a novel, that if the accolades listed on the back cover aren’t enough to make you buy the book, the story line will be. A finalist for all three of Canada’s major literary awards, including the ScotiaBank Giller, Governor General’s, and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, Annabel is also a Globe and Mail Top 100 book.
It’s a fascinating premise and promises to examine how the child, born with both male and female genitalia, is raised as a boy named Wayne, struggling to make his way into adulthood within a “hyper-masculine hunting culture”, all the while wrestling with his feminine self, a girl named Annabel.
For an excellent synopsis of the novel, check out this review in the Montreal Gazette, by Donna Bailey Nurse.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Review+Annabel/3309798/story.html
Log in for Wordy Wednesday (December 7th) and let’s chat about the beginning of the book.
Cheers!