Fight Night
"Move over, Scout Finch! There's a new contender for feistiest girl in fiction, and her name is Swiv." -USA Today, "Best Books of the Year"
"Toews is a master of dialogue." -New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice "A revelation." -Richard Russo NPR Best Books of the Year * Shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize * Writers' Trust Fiction Prize Finalist * Indie Next Pick * Amazon Editors' Pick * Apple Book of the Month From the bestselling author of Women Talking and All My Puny Sorrows, a compassionate, darkly humorous, and deeply wise novel about three generations of women. "You're a small thing," Grandma writes, "and you must learn to fight." Swiv's Grandma, Elvira, has been fighting all her life. From her upbringing in a strict religious community, she has fought those who wanted to take away her joy, her independence, and her spirit. She has fought to make peace with her loved ones when they have chosen to leave her. And now, even as her health fails, Grandma is fighting for her family: for her daughter, partnerless and in the third term of a pregnancy; and for her granddaughter Swiv, a spirited nine-year-old who has been suspended from school. Cramped together in their Toronto home, on the precipice of extraordinary change, Grandma and Swiv undertake a vital new project, setting out to explain their lives in letters they will never send. Alternating between the exuberant, precocious voice of young Swiv and her irrepressible, tenacious Grandma, Fight Night is a love letter to mothers and grandmothers, and to all the women who are still fighting-painfully, ferociously- for a way to live on their own terms.BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
A sweet story about a quirky family as told by 9-year-old Swiv, mostly in letters written to her absent father or her soon-to-be-born little sister, Gord. Her adventures with her grandma and the way they communicate is touching and sometimes hilarious.
This is the first book I've read by Miriam Toews. I've heard rave reviews about her books and thought to start with one promoted as dark humor. And while I did chuckle in spots (the trip to California especially), I would not shelve this story as humor. It is intense drama told in a jaunty way.
This was a heartbreaking read about a child forced to deal with generational family trauma. The choppy and stream of consciousness-like writing took a minute to get used to but felt authentic for a nine-year-old.
My main issues with this story was Swiv's age and the ending. Swiv acts much older than her years because she's had to...but many a section strained credulity. I rolled with it because I wanted to know what happened to this family. Which brings me to my other issue, the last pages presented too neat a picture. It seemed like a cop out given the preceding pages.
There are so many issues that this book raises (good pick for book clubs) with patriarchy, religious restrictions on women, suicide, mental health, sexual harassment, and how trauma can affect generations. Also, there is a family member who has an issue, but no one will say what it is out loud. The reader is left to fill in the blanks. Hard and heavy subjects are well addressed to my mind. Especially after reading about the author's background. Kudos.
Despite my issues with this book, it is a story that will haunt you. I still think about it a year later...
This is a hell of a book! I laughed out loud and cried to myself. To quote a character, "life is super fucking hard, right?" but this book makes me feel joyful to be alive.
I like a child narrator, and the “unreliable” nature of that naive point-of-view. Swiv is savvy as well as young though, so sometimes she put me in my place. Grandma too could pull some unpredictable punches (!), and they each reminded me that there’s more than one interpretation to a situation. All done with a often unintentional sense of humor made this a charming and edifying read.
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