Given that it features a child narrator, I was a wee bit wary of Miriam Toews’ Fight Night despite having enjoyed her previous novels. It’s such a difficult trick to pull off, painfully clunky if mishandled. Toews’ new novel takes the form of a letter written by nine-year-old Swiv to her father who her grandmother has told her is off fighting fascists.
She likes stories to be fast and troublesome and funny, and life too.
Swiv lives with her mother and grandmother in Toronto. Suspended from school for fighting again, Swiv’s currently following an eccentric home-schooling curriculum overseen by Grandma while her mother is out at work rehearsing a new play. Swiv and her grandmother are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Swiv’s unborn sibling who they’ve decided to call Gord. Swiv lives in a constant state of anxiety: worried that her grandmother might die; worried that her mother might succumb to the illness that led to both her grandfather’s and aunt’s suicides; worried about Gord. When she’s out and about embarrassment takes over as Grandma strikes up uninhibited conversations with everyone they meet while her mother indulges in loud rants. Grandma regales Swiv with tales of her family, fighters all of them, then decides it’s time to see her nephews in California, taking Swiv with her, ten days which open Swiv’s eyes to all manner of things.
At some point in Grandma’s life someone must have threatened to kill her whole family unless she became friends with every single person she met.
Swiv is a brilliant narrator, instantly engaging as she recounts Grandma’s antics. The novel fizzes with energy and wit but there’s a soberness about it with Swiv’s difficult family history woven through her narrative as Grandma fills in the gaps for her. Elvira is a wonderful character, colourful and vivid, determined that her granddaughter will grow up a fighter equipped to face the world, fully aware that she’s a child who hasn’t had the easiest of starts. It’s all beautifully done. I tend to shy away from the description comic novel but this really is laugh-out-loud funny. A tragicomedy, then, that’ll have you rooting for Swiv until its end.
Faber & Faber: London 9780571370719 336 pages Hardback
Sounds great, Susan. As you say, a child narrator can be a tricky thing to pull off, but it seems as if Towes has pitched this just right. (I can see how invested you were in the characters!) She’s an author I’ve been meaning to try for a while, so I’m making a mental note of this for the future, maybe once the paperback come out.
*Toews
Child narrators tend to set my teeth on edge but Toews does it so well with Swiv. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by her but I think this is my favourite. Worth waiting for!
Child narrators can make me grind my teeth a little, but this sounds well done.
Me, too! It takes a great deal of skill to do it as well as Toews does.
Are the names just weird or is there an ethinicity/language that goes with them? Except for Patrick Dennis’ The Joyous Season (one of my top 10 books ever) no child narrator has ever really made me too happy. I threw back Frederik Backman’s book even.
The family is of Russian extraction. I know what you mean about child narrators but Swiv worked well for me. I think I should look the Dennis up!
Glad to see Toews managed to pull off having a child narrator. I laughed at the quote about Grandma having to make friends with everyone. Sounds a wonderful read.
Both Swiv and Grandma are absolute treats. Child narrators are notoriously difficult but I also think combining tragedy and comedy takes enormous skill. Toews manages both with huge aplomb!
I have never read Miriam Toews but I am adding this to my list for the future. I really like well written child narrators, though it is hard to get right. Love that quirky cover design too.
It’s great, isn’t it – so eye-catching. I hope you enjoy Swiv’s company as much as I did.
I have read her novel Women Talking and was a great read. The form was something unique. It was like a Minutes of Meeting. I hope and earnestly wish her present work FIGHT NIGHT makes it to the top. Cheers !
Wouldn’t that be great? Fingers crossed!
I always approach child narrators with caution, but there’s something about the energy of Swiv that sounds so appealing!
I generally avoid them but as it was a Miraim Toews novel I broke my rule and it paid off.
Oh this sounds wonderful – I love the tone of those quotes.
It’s brilliant! Both Swiv and Elvira are wonderful characters but Swiv is the undoubted star of the show.