Publishers Weekly
Montreal poet Skibsrud's first novel, the dark horse winner of Canada's 2011 Giller Prize, is an intricate story about the crushing power of experience. As elderly, alcoholic Napoleon is being moved from his home in Fargo, N.D., to that of widowed family friend Henry Carey in Casablanca, Ontario, the unnamed narrator, one of Napoleon's two daughters, recalls time spent throughout her life in the Carey home and the strange story of her father, whose life fell apart after he returned from Vietnam. The story moves from the narrator's childhood; Napoleon's pivotal wartime service with Henry's son, Owen; and Napoleon's abandoning of his family, which crushed the narrator and her sister. Poetic ruminations are frequent but not oppressive, and provide uncommon perspectives on the characters: Napoleon's deathbed confessions "opened a seam through which the rest of the world now burst"; the narrator realizes, at her sick father's side, that her "own sadness seemed, at those times, to draw itself in—a complete and separate object—so that it seemed to have nothing to do with me anymore." Skibsrud's assured prose and graceful wordplay elevate this delicately structured story of redemption and forgiveness, and her storytelling is so refined and subtle that the punch at the end, while fully anticipated, still has a leveling power. (May)
Dallas Morning News
"As a poet, [Johanna Skibsrud] knows how to pare a story down to its essence and infuse every thread with meaning. . . . The tale is so true and poignant that, as in the moment when the narrator flew over the water, readers, too, will want to stay there ‘as long as possible.’"
NPR
"A slim debut novel graced by inventive language and a haunting atmosphere. . . . The melancholy mood and restrained language of the story settles deep into a reader’s consciousness."
National Post
"Skibsrud knows what she's doing: The slow fuse of the novel's first half turns out to be a very effective setup for the explosive second."
The Globe and Mail
"A solid debut and a beautiful tribute to a father-daughter relationship."
Michael Enright
"I read it twice, and it’s amazing even the second time, and I think it would be even more amazing the third time. She’s a tremendous stylist."
Library Journal
First novelist Skibsrud takes a poignant look at family, focusing mainly on Napoleon Haskell, his adult daughter, and Henry, father to a young man Napoleon served with in Vietnam. These three live in Henry's house in Canada as a sort of makeshift family. When Napoleon's daughter first comes to live with him and Henry after a relationship ends badly, she finds out much more about the father she hardly knew while growing up. And she begins to understand who Henry is and why he has a connection to her own family. She also learns that her father's alcoholism is much more progressed than she'd originally thought. And she begins to figure out the identity of the mysterious Owen, Henry's son, and why Henry feels indebted to her father because of him. With flashbacks to Vietnam and heartfelt recollections of the daughter's own childhood, the narrative shows Napoleon slowly letting his daughter in on deep secrets of his life. VERDICT A quick and satisfying read; recommended for most public libraries and reading groups that have an interest in books about familial relationships.—Leann Restaino, Girard, OH
NOVEMBER 2011 - AudioFile
This debut novel, winner of Canada’s 2010 Giller Prize, is the story of a father and daughter who attempt to overcome guilt and neglect in search of understanding and forgiveness. Celeste Ciulla’s narration fails to aid in navigating a complex story that bounces from past to present among several characters. She doesn’t breathe life into the settings or the characters: Napoleon, his unnamed daughter, and Henry, the longtime family friend who takes Napoleon in. Long, dense, often-awkward sentences and constant shifting from past to present and character to character challenge the listener to stay focused and engaged. The epilogue, in which Joey Collins and Greg Steinbruner read a trial transcript as young Napoleon and his inquisitor, leaves the listener with little insight into Napoleon's sad, tortured life. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
