Naomi K. Lewis

I know almost nothing about Naomi K. Lewis except the brief bio provided in this novel at the back. But I picked up the book by chance at the library and am very happy that I did. To me Toronto and Ottawa are like foreign cities, just as much as New York or Washington or Berlin, even though I am a Canadian. Being from Western Canada, I find it hard to relate to Easterners and do not understand all of their viewpoints of life. The family in this book has extra interest because it is comprised of the generations already born in Europe before World War II, and who came to Canada in the middle of the 20th Century, and the generations that were born in Canada later in the 20th Century. My own ancestors came from European countries in the 1920s and 1930s and so the flavour of my experience is somewhat different. I am fascinated by stories of parents abandoning their children, even though, and even when, they are still living in the same house. I often feel that I am not fully available to my own kids and wonder what horrendous experiences they are going through because of my lack of attention. All I can say is, I am glad that children have more than just one relative to relate to in most cases. I definitely recommend this book to all LibraryThing members. The author has deep sensitivity to the feelings of all generations, from the youngest teenagers and children under 10, all the way up to the oldest grandparents and great-grandparents.… (mais)