The Flying Troutmans

24 Jan 2009 - LibraryThing Early Reviewers' Programme

A marvellous book. Hattie has always felt responsibile for her older sister Min and her mental health, believing that she knocked it off balance by having the temerity to be born. So when she gets a call, dumped and alone in Paris, to come and help her only surviving relatives, she jumps on a plan, heads to Canada and reaquaints herself with her niece and nephew, all the while musing over their childhood and their own. Eventually, Hattie and the (beautifully drawn) Thebes and Logan embark on a road trip right through the United States, trying to heal a few wounds, getting a few more on the way, and looking for the kids' father, Cherkis the artist.

Toews' first novel was set in a strict show more religious community but had something of the same wry narrative voice. Here she has found her wings and really does let the Troutmans fly, weaving their back stories, current struggles and futures seamlessly in a narrative that compels you to read on and on as they drive on and on. The deadpan narration, full of little details and great humour, is reminiscent of Douglas Coupland, and I would recommend this to Coupland fans. Central characters to care about, unconventional aunts and little girls full of mad knowledge, and their centre, the out-of-focus, hospitalised Min - a noteworthy and memorable book that I loved. show less

Min, Mutter der 11jährigen Thebes und des 15jährigen Logan, bezaubernd und impulsiv, aber auch selbstzerstörerisch bis zum Selbstmord, wird in eine psychiatrische Klinik eingewiesen. Nach einem Notruf Thebes kommt Mins jüngere Schwester Hattie aus Paris zurück, um sich um die drei zu kümmern. Als ihr klar wird, dass Mins Aufenthalt im Krankenhaus länger dauern wird, weiß sie sich keinen anderen Rat mehr und macht sich gemeinsam mit den Kindern auf die Suche nach deren Vater quer durch die USA.
Hattie versucht während dieser Reise ihrer Aufgabe als 'Vertretung Mins' gerecht zu werden, doch zusätzlich zu ihrem eigenen Liebeskummer bringen sie die liebenswert altkluge, schräge Thebes und der pubertierende Logan an den Rand ihrer show more Belastungsfähigkeit. Während die Beiden auf ihre Weise versuchen, mit der Krankheit ihrer Mutter (depressive Schübe, emotionale Instabilität) klar zu kommen, durchdenkt Hattie ihre Zeit mit Min: ihre Schwermut, die wiederholten Selbstmordversuche, ihre Lebensunlust - und dann auch wieder das genaue Gegenteil, deren überschäumende Fröhlichkeit, ihre große Liebe zu ihrer kleinen Schwester. Mit jeder Meile, die die drei (manchmal auch vier und irgendwann auch mit Hund) zurücklegen, wird ihr klar, wie wichtig ihr Min und ihre Kinder sind.
Die ganze Geschichte dieser Reise wird im Rückblick von Hattie erzählt. Und in einem so wunderbaren Stil, dass man ihre Furcht vor der Verantwortung für diese 'Familie' ebenso nachvollziehen kann wie die große Liebe, die sie für sie empfindet. Auch Thebes und Logan sind überaus lebendig beschrieben: die Angst um ihre Mutter und die Art und Weise, wie sie damit umgehen ebenso wie die ungeheuere Liebe zu ihr. Insbesondere Thebes erschien schon nach kurzer Zeit vor meinem inneren Auge mit ihrem lila verfilzten Haar und königsblauen Frotteeanzug.
Wunderschön mit viel Gefühl, aber nie kitschig! show less

If, along the way, something is gained, then something will also be lost. Those words were emblazoned on Min's bedroom wall, burned into the wallpaer with a charred wine-bottle cork. Our parents dismissed them as psuedo-profound, angsty-adolescent babble, but they haunted me. Why should that be? I wondered. How did she know that? Did she really believe it, or did she just like the way those words looked in burnt cork?
- from The Flying Troutmans

Let's make an analogy between books and buildings. Some books, like some buildings, are mammoth in scope, appearance, and construction. You can smell the sweat of the author on the pages. You can see the mortar in the cracks. You stare at it, and are amazed. Infinite Jest. Against the Day. show more Underworld. Books that demand your attention not only for their overall quality, but for the effort as well.

And there's nothing wrong with this. A well-built edifice can be a thing of beauty. Underworld is a spectacular skyscraper of a novel.

But such monuments may serve to denigrate the 'simpler' buildings. Buildings of equal care and precision, and certainly of equal effort, as their more elaborate counterparts, but buildings that don't show off. Like a house that offers its residents a sense of peace and acceptance, obscuring the work that went into its construction. Or a book that quietly leads its readers along a journey, offering multitudes of pleasures, only upon reflection revealing the immense craft that went into its manufacture. Alice Munro is a grand master of such writing. And Miriam Toews is no slouch.

Enter The Flying Troutmans, Toews' first release since her monstrously successful (and damned good) A Complicated Kindness. Like her previous output, the simplicity of Toews' writing belies the artistry which lies underneath. You enjoy the work, but she makes it appear so effortless that subconsciously you may not appreciate how artful an author Toews really is. It requires monumental skill to write in such a fashion that you don't notice the author's perspiration that undercoats every word.

The linchpin of Toews' tale is Min, a manic-depressive who has undergone complete mental collapse. Picking up the pieces of Min's life is Hattie, Min's sister and Troutmans' narrator. Hattie had always watched over her older sister, but had taken the step of moving to Paris, fleeing "Min's dark planet for the City of Lights." Now, Hattie has had to return to care for Min's children;
Thebes, an eleven-year-old daughter prone to speaking in gansta slang, and Logan, a fifiteen-year-old son unwillingly thrust into responsibility too soon. And before you can say "Hollywood road movie," she's loaded up the family and headed south in search of the children's long-absent father.

As I rather dismissively wrote above, the trappings of The Flying Troutmans is a road trip, that classic staple of Hollywood quirk. It goes without saying that the reader will be reminded strongly of films such as Little Miss Sunshine and The Daytrippers, although it is quite unfair to simply lump Troutmans in as yet another 'weird family' road movie. The travelogue may have become co-opted and popularized by the cinema, but it has its roots in literature, and as Troutmans ably proves, there's life in the genre yet (alongside Michael Winter's recent triumph The Architects Are Here). A good road trip narrative understands that - and here comes another old reliable stand-by - it's not the destination that's important, but the journey.

Toews' great strength as an artist is complete empathy for her characters, combined with a subtle wit and a genuine flair for imagery. Her narrative careens from past memories to current events with nary a misstep. Her tour of the American heartland is warm and funny, complete with reliable standbys such as people who confuse Manitoba with California, and the realization that the Grand Canyon is simply an enormous hole.

In the end, it's simply a great story, wonderfully told. Sometimes, as we bounce around the post-modern world, we forget just how important and rare a skill that is. show less

I was not a fan of A Complicated Kindness. And when I started reading this book I thought to myself "Oh no, another dysfunctional family portrayed by Toews." However, I grew to love the Troutmans. Min, the mother, is in a psychiatric unit for most of the book but we get frequent memories by her sister, Hattie, who came back from Paris to look after the kids, 15 year old Logan and 8 year old Thebes. Min has been having mental illness episodes most of her life but somehow has always managed to look after the kids even when their father (Cherkis) disappeared. However, this time Hattie thinks she might end up saddled with the kids for good. That isn't how she envisioned her life developing. So, when Min asks for her help to kill herself show more Hattie tells the kids she asked her to help find their father. The last address they had for him was in South Dakota so they head south in the family van. Thebes packs no clothes but lots of arts and crafts supplies. Logan packs some clothes but mostly CDs and weapons. Somehow they manage to cross the border (I think we have to assume this took place pre-9/11) and get to South Dakota. Of course, Cherkis is long gone but they do find out he might be in California. The trip from South Dakota to California is long, hot and full of bizarre incidents. Everyone grows a little bit and discovers things about themselves and the others. The ending is positive and hopeful. The Troutmans will probably always be dysfunctional but then what family isn't? The important thing is that they will be a family. I'm glad I decided to give Miriam Toews one more chance. show less

This book was by turns funny and moving and tragic. The quirky character traits the children exhibit definitely spark a smile, but it is a sad smile as you realize why they were forced to develop these defense mechanisms. None of the adults in the books act actually like adults (most of the time) which is truly unfair to these children. Hattie is certainly not prepared to act as a parent; in their own way, Thebes and Logan are the most grown-up characters in the story.

I thought that Min's mental illness was handled with sensitivity and accuracy, especially as it impacted the lives of those around her. I was also impressed with Hattie's character development as the novel progressed. This novel doesn't present any answers to the questions show more raised in the narrative- it is just a story of a family trying to cope the best way they can. Impressive and enjoyable read. show less

I've found a new favorite writer, methinks. This is one of a string of books that all but destroyed my own will to write. But in a good way.

This book is hilarious but also hits you where it counts. Here's a little taste, after the narrator Hattie has been picked up from the airport by her (underage) nephew Logan and niece Thebes:

"Logan ended up driving back to their house because I didn't know how to tell him not to and because he hadn't seemed interested in relinquishing control of the wheel anyway. Logan and Thebes yelled at each other all the way back, the music cranked the whole time.

Thebes: Stay in your lane, moron!
Logan: Don't lose your f***ing sh**, man!
Thebes: I don't want to die, loser! Use two hands!
Logan: Do NOT grab the show more steering wheel!

Then Thebes went into this strange kind of commentary thing she does, quoting the imaginary people in her head. The time it was a funeral director, I think. She said: With an impact this severe there is not a hope of reconstructing this kid's face. She banged the back window with her fist.

What was that? I asked her.

The lid of my coffin, slamming down, she said. Closed casket. I'll be unrecognizable anyway."

Man, I loved those kids. They broke my heart and cracked me up at every turn.

I will definitely be reading more by this author. show less

This is the first Miriam Toews book I've read, and if they're all like this, then I will be reading all of her books!

It is so great when a book is so well written, it just sucks you in and pulls you through. I'd started two other books before this one and didn't get past five pages in them, they were so uninspiring in their writing. Then this one, and after one full page I was hooked. I love the dialogue, I love Thebes, the crazy eleven year old, and Logan, the 15 yr old full of teen angst and real-life problems. Hattie is messed up but real, too. It's just a good story about family love and survival in the midst of a bad hand of cards. And really, anyone who can write a story about three people in a van on a road trip and keep it show more interesting and realistic is genius.

Kind of a literary Little Miss Sunshine, but better. show less