The Call: A Novel (edition 2011)

I'm always drawn to books that are unique in their narrative style, so when my librarian friend showed me the Call/Action/Result etc blocks of narrative in this book I was immediately intrigued. I didn't even care to read the description on the back cover, I just knew I wanted to read this book. (Incidentally, I did read the description on the back after I finished the novel, and it's obviously written by a publisher, not the author, because it too neatly says what the book is "about." The book is more nuanced than the blurb allows.)

If I had read only the blurb and not known about the unique style, I probably would not have the read the book, because I have little direct interest in farms and vets and horses or hunting, which are all included in the narrative. However, I did enjoy the book, because I do like stories about families, honest relationships, struggles, a touch of whimsy (the mother "receiving" signals from the spaceship), some unexpected developments, and a lack of sap.

It's the "lack of sap(piness) that I most appreciated about the book. There's a tragedy and doctors and hospitals, but the book does not dwell on the drama of any of these events, it just goes through the actions with some objectivity and resolve. That is not to say that emotion and struggle are removed. The turmoil is implied and seen through the character's "What I Thought While Driving" moments and the conversations with wife and daughters. Human struggle is felt in a very refreshing way.

The same is true of the characterization of the other family members. Through the few actions and discussions of the wife and daughters and son, they are round characters even if they seem like background characters.

This book is well crafted and original. That alone is recommendation for reading. ( )

F Murphy

Written as entries from a rural veterinarian’s call sheet, The Call is a pleasing and odd little book that had a lovely sly sense of humor that pleased me. I was surprised how the author managed to tell the story (which involves a hunting accident and the vet’s son) and convey the details of one family’s life with such convincing warmth, humor and goodwill. I also felt it told the story of a marriage that felt real and lived-in—something you don’t often come across. Make time for it. ( )

I LOVED [The Call] but when I went to the book site and peeked at other reviews I could see as I suspected would be the case, that either you like the peculiar format or you loathe it and find it repetitive, boring, grating etcetera. A large animal vet with a wife and three kids, living somewhere quite rural in Vermont, time unspecified, but around now. First time he takes his 12 yr. old boy hunting another hunter, out for grouse, hits the boy who falls off the deer platform and hits his head, falls into a coma. This happens right away. The person who did it does not come forward. The doctors are very optimistic. And, as is usual, when the bad thing happens immediately, things can only get better. So don't let that stop you. What may put you off, is the format. Traveling vets keep a book in which they normally write three items: The Call, the Action they take and the Result - what becomes of the animal - that is the basic format of the book except, it includes many other categories such as:
What the Wife Said. What We Had For Dinner. What I Wished. What I Thought On the Drive Home. What the Wife was Reading. And so on. The effect at first is distancing, but once I fell into the rhythm of it, it was as if I had fallen into this man's head, going with him on his rounds. There is something guileless about him, and a bit immature, but also very tough and oh so so familiar to me, as I live in rural Vermont with a not entirely dissimilar man who would always rather be doing something outside than almost anything else, except maybe reading a good book before falling asleep and hanging about with his family and pets. The man senses the mysteries, that there are connections and intertwinings between man and animal, man and nature, not to be interfered with, and the slight distance that the format puts between the reader and the protagonist, I felt, allowed for more of that strangeness to permeate and fill the silences in the book.

Here are David's thoughts after he has been lost when out hunting:
What I did: I walked downhill, through woods I swore I had never walked through before. My feet on thick, carpeting needles of pine I could not remember having felt before beneath my boots. I listened for the sounds on the road, for the cars that might be driving up or down to steer my way. there were no sounds, just the sound of the wind in the trees, creaking tops..... I walked on..... Finally I saw the bright lights.... It turned out to be my house. I felt stupid to see it. It was so large, the light in the kitchen window so bright. Inside I went to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror. I should have known I was never lost at all but just letting myself enjoy the thrill of fear, a thing that seemed to be alive.

This is very clearly a book that either you love or hate, so be advised. ( )

This novel lets you live vicariously in rural Vermont, with Martin, Jen and their three young children. They have a simple, full life (not quite homesteaders), but the post 2008 downturn is increasingly affecting his veterinary practice. Theirs are the typical joys and stresses affecting couples raising a family, and Yannick Murphy portrays these extremely well. When tragedy strikes, you share the pain and worry, and witness the changes in the family dynamic, but it is well worth the trip. I finished the book wanting to read her other novels. ( )