Some People's Children by Bridget Canning

Some People's Children by Bridget Canning
Breakwater Books, May 2020

A fatherless girl's coming of age story set in Newfoundland.

Is this a novel primarily for teens or adults? The Scotiabank Giller prize rules disqualify YA (Young Adult) titles, so that question was one that I asked of my YA book group when we discussed this title yesterday. I agree with our general assessment: it's an adult novel with crossover appeal to older teens.

Imogene Tubbs is 12 when the novel opens in 1986, living with her grandmother in the tiny settlement of St Felix in the western part of the island of Newfoundland. It's an 11-hour journey by bus from there to the provincial capital, St John's. Imogene's mother Maggie is in Ontario; her promises to have her daughter join her have not been kept so far. Everyone in town suspects they know who Imogene's father is, a terrible man named Cecil Jesso, although Maggie denies this and the prologue scene shows otherwise.

The story spans about a decade of Imogene's life, into her early adulthood. It's a clear-eyed and compassionate look at adolescence and the search for identity. The characterizations have nuance. The sense of small town claustrophobia, the landscape and weather are all vividly portrayed. 

        There's always some kind of wind in St Felix's. Sometimes a cold wind off the water to spoil a warm summer day. Or a Wreckhouse blast that gouges the breath from your mouth and tries to suffocate you right out in the open.

Imogene has been sheltered from the larger world, which she mainly knows through books. Readers who were bookish children will understand her need to bring three books along on a bus journey.

        That night, Imogene goes to bed early so she can read Harriet the Spy. She likes how Ole Golly takes Harriet for egg creams. She doesn't know what egg creams are, but imagines it's what people in New York eat all the time, like vanilla cake batter you can drink.

Newfoundland English appears now and then, such as "b'y" at the end of sentences; Tipp's Eve (December 23); "now the once;" "a bit drove;" and Jiggs' dinner.

        She's never been able to get excited about Jiggs.' Boil out all the nutrients and salt it like it might come back to life and haunt you.

One of the reasons that this novel doesn't fall into the YA category is its absence of prudishness. The characters take a pragmatic approach to sexual intercourse and underage drinking. When Imogene's grandmother is out of earshot, profanity abounds. In this passage, Imogene is attending university and her friend Jamie describes his older brothers to her:

        "They're bastards. They really are. Just because someone's related to you, doesn't mean you have to like them. And Eric is a dirty fucker. He's the kind of guy who would show up at your house when you're having a party and steal your CDs."
        "That's fucking vile."
        "Nasty behaviour. That stuff's an investment, especially if you had to buy the bands you already have on tape over again."

Mental health is an important issue, addressed with sensitivity.

        The days get shorter and darker and Maggie follows suit.

1980s popular culture finds its way into the smallest of Canadian communities. And teenage hormonal angst is pretty much the same everywhere. 

        He has started spiking the front of his hair with gel that makes his fleecy blond fringe dark and geometrical. This new hair irritates Imogene and she feels guilty for her irritation which is also irritating. Liam can do whatever he wants with his appearance. But it annoys her that he didn't ask her opinion on his spiky hair, like she will just go along with whatever stupid decision he makes.

Imogene learns to forge her own path forward. Some People's Children is a rewarding read for anyone who loves character-based novels with a strong sense of place.

Giller chances: MEDIUM 

This post is part of a series. I'm on the Shadow Giller jury this year, so I'm reading as many qualifying Canadian titles as possible in order to come up with my own longlist prediction before the official one that will be announced on September 8, 2020. To see my other reviews that are a part of this project, click on the Shadow Giller tag. Also, please visit our Shadowing the Best of CanLit website to see what the rest of the Shadow Giller jury are up to. Thanks for visiting my blog.