(Click on the photo to see it closer. That way you can read the little excerpts.)Why should you read "Fall On Your Knees" by Ann-Marie MacDonald?
Because...
It is bold. It is brassy. It wraps you up in its blanket and pushes you gently into a chair and then takes over. Tells the story. And what a story!
Cape Breton from 1890 to 1930. A man who wants to better himself. A girl who falls for him. Her family that disowns them when they elope. The babies they have - the rifts that appear in the family - the children that grow. The secrets that fester. The desires that drive. The nuances of being human. The growing daughters and how they keep their family together, despite secrets and shames that could break them all wide open. Cultures - Syrian, Arabic, Jewish, German, African-Canadian, that mix and mingle and smash together. History, taking a breath and waking up, coming to life.
And at the end - the revelation of a love story that will take your breath away. And through it all - language that sings, words that twist and turn, bits of truth sprinkled in the text to sparkle.
Oh my. Oh my, my, my. How did I not read this book until now? I suppose I had heard it was dark, that it was depressing, and I'm careful with books like that. I'm careful with my own mental state. Don't want to drench it in too much darkness. But - I gave this a try. And while there is a lot of sadness and stifled lives - it is also glorious. A fine writer can do that - can take a subject like a twisted family - and still make the story so utterly captivating that you just hang on for the ride.
Have you read it? What do you think of it?
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