Nine year old Swiv lives at home with her mother and grandmother after being suspended from school for fighting. Her grandmother Elvira has taken on the responsibility of her education though her methods of teaching are certainly unconventional, idiosyncratic and funny. Swiv's mother is frequently overwhelmed as she's heavily pregnant, struggling to find work as an actor and grappling with her own mental health issues. Since Swiv's father is absent, this novel takes the form of a letter she's writing to him (although most of the book settles down into a more standard account of events as she experiences them.) Each of these women write their own letters – not so much to communicate with someone but to try to articulate what they want and understand their own experiences. Their personalities vibrantly come to life as we learn about the intimate details of their days, the story behind the father's disappearance and their opinions of the world around them.
I developed such an affection for these three characters. Each is fiery and feisty in her own way. So the way they bounce off from each other is often hilarious. It's particularly moving how the narrative is mediated through Swiv's perspective. She's still a child but on the cusp of maturity so her choice of words often mimics her mother and grandmother. Equally her point of view is heavily influenced by them while also showing her own unique disposition. Given the big personalities around her there is a certain amount of grandstanding just to make herself heard. It's not surprising she's always determined to win King of the Castle when playing with her contemporaries because for her it isn't just a game. It's clever how Toews shows the way that each character may be called daughter, mother, grandmother because of their ages and positions in life, but these roles become interchangeable as they alternately nurture and educate one another. In this way none of them fit into a neat category so Swiv is naturally resentful when figures in authority at a hospital treat her dismissively and tell her to get a doughnut. At the same time, we see how she's undergoing an important stage of her development and maintains a naivety especially when meeting a cool older boy she wants to impress.
Though the circumstances are quite different from Toews' previous novel “Women Talking” this new book is a natural follow up. It poignantly shows the particular conversations which arise between women in an all-female space. Internal and external conflicts arise, but there is a genuine sense of bonding and love present as well. Though the trio in this story sometimes bicker and must negotiate how to co-exist in a single household they also have a fierce loyalty to each other. In a sense, it's them versus the world. Toews shows the way each of them are involved in their own particular fights with themselves, certain individuals and different institutions. The struggle is real and it's a daily challenge just to muster the spirit to keep going: “Fighting is so hard and yet we're never supposed to stop.” This novel movingly demonstrates how life is worth the battle and how family can inspire you to tough out the hardest challenges.
