Eden Robinson's Monkey Beach

Gabriel Quinn, a scientist partially responsible for the destruction of Samaritan Bay and employed by the company Domidion International; attempts suicide in his hometown of Samaritan Bay and ends up saving himself in a bid to save a drowning first nations girl in the water. Much like himself, the girl is struggling in the water, and when he first sees her he describes her as a “hand thrust out of the water, then and arm, fragile, a slender branch caught in a flood.”. This girl is a symbol of the guilt that weighs Gabriel down, from the disaster that drove out the first nations people and obliterated his hometown. Gabriel meets two other characters, Crisp, a crafty local full of vibrant stories, and Mara, an artist who returned from Toronto to reconcile with her past. The relationships that Gabriel develop with the people in Samaritan Bay when he returns is what, in my opinion, ‘makes’ the novel as good as it

The book talks about the bridge,or connection between things, and, like real monkey bridged, can be broken and hard to navigate. Examples can be found throughout the book like how Mai father, Bihn, first saw Thanh on a monkey bridge, or how Baba Quan came on a monkey bridge to save Uncle Michele. This theme of connection is found throughout the book which is probably why the author designed the cover this way. But it is lacks Mai inter suggeral between tradition and culture, also the conflict between Mai and Thanh. The original cover is one side, for a book where each reader takes a different viewpoint. The current picture is not properly representing the battles Mai fights. In fact it almost gives a sense of tranquillity, which is paradoxical compared to disobedient PTSD quality throughout the book. Plus the cover in not engaging, defeating the main purpose of a cover. Therefore the current cover does not correctly represent the novel Monkey

There were a few points in this book that taught me about life and how crazy it can be sometimes. The photographer named Fulgencio was very afraid of hitch hiking to Mexico City with a stranger, especially with all of us expensive equipment. On the ride, Fulgencio is so paranoid that the guy is going to kill him, he grabs a machete out of the back of the truck. In doing so he gets kicked out of the car and loses all of his photography equipment anyways. This taught me that we need to trust each other more, Just because there are a few crazy people in the world, we shouldn't let them give us all a bad name. I mean, the guy picked Fulgencio up when he was in desperate need of a car, and gives him a ride. He should have been thankful, not picked up a machete and threaten the guy. Another thing this book taught me was that just because your sister doesn't want your kid anymore because she

Throughout Monkey Beach, Identity is a constant and important theme. Lisa is trying to define herself in a world which does not appreciate indigenous traditions. Ma-ma-oo says that Gladys once had the same gift and that she could "know who was going to die next"(Robinson 98), but Gladys gave it up as she grew older. In the same way, Gladys is portrayed as fun-loving and adventurous in her youth. We are told of her having made enough snow angels while drunk that, “the whole front yard was covered with them”(Robinson 65). However, Gladys is a flat character who now believes the little man is merely a reoccurring dream. She has not just lost the gift, she has lost part of her culture and belief in the supernatural. Lisa's resistance to the dismissal of her gift is how she differs from her mother, and is a very important part of Lisa's character. Lisa's identity throughout the book is complex, but most importantly, she is underdeveloped as a person. It is important to note that the reason Lisa cannot communicate with the dead very well is because she lacks the required knowledge, this serves as metaphor for future generations being aware of their culture; but not nurturing it to a point of understanding.

Robinson uses nature and spirituality to connect the main protagonist, Lisa, to the old ways of the Haisla people. Throughout the first passage of Monkey Beach, Lisa describes many instances of animals and nature coming

The fundamental characteristic of magical realism is its duality, which enables the reader to experience both the character’s past and the present. In the novel, Monkey Beach, Eden Robinson uses this literary device to address the the trauma and mistreatment of the Haisla community in Canada by unveiling the intimate memories of the protagonist, Lisamarie, and the resulting consequences of this oppression. Monkey Beach illustrates how abuse in the past leads to another form of self-medication in the future - a neverending, vicious cycle for the members of the Haisla community. Many characters in Monkey Beach are scarred from childhood sexual abuse and family neglect, and resort to drug and alcohol abuse as a coping mechanism. These

I have reviewed multiple books of Catherine Ryan Hyde's and have become an admirer of her work. Even though she has thirty-two books written, her topics are always new and fresh. Allie and Bea is the perfect read for this summer. I was hooked right off the bat and became invested in the story. It flew by undoubtedly too fast prompting surprise as I turned the last page. Furthermore, her writing does not bog the reader down being overly descriptive and wordy. Hence, she takes the reader on a learning experience through the eyes of creative characters who you will laugh with, cry with and grow along with.

Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson is a fictional novel that takes the reader on a cultural expedition through the different layers of the Hiasla culture. As the book begins, Lisa, the protagonist, wakes up as her parents are preparing to leave to help with the search to find her brother, who is missing at sea. Lisa decides to join her parents, however, she cannot find a flight, so, she decides to take her family's motorboat on a long journey along the Pacific Ocean coast. Along the way, she either almost drowns and is rescued by her brother, almost drowns and gets a vision from her dead brother to send a message to his girlfriend, or drowns. Her brother falls in love, but upon finding out that his soon-to-be fiancé was raped by another man he takes a fishing job with the man and kills him on the ocean after sinking their boat. The novel is structured in four chapters. The narrative is told in first person perspective, Lisa's perspective. During the present narrative, Lisa reflects on events leading up to her brother's disappearance and significant events in her life. Intertwined with this narrative is a series of frequent and sometimes lengthy flashbacks which illustrate how her brother came to be lost at sea. Robinson’s style of writing depicts time in both a linear and abstract form; Robinson’s style showcases the validity of Haisla culture in modern time.

I found this book to be well written and researched, the downside of it was it felt more like an essay. The background stories and information was repeated several times, repetition can be good but to much just makes it seem like you ran out of things

Overall this book is good so far. Once I start reading it, I cannot put it down. It is a story that talks about the struggle of a young African-American girl named Shivana who is dealing with her poor lifestyle, going to school and being sexually active at such a young age. She is only fifteen and has been hooking up with a man who is married and has children. I found that this was so disturbing because I feel like Leroy (the married man) is using her for sex; he claims that he loves her but I am pretty sure he is doing it out of pleasure.

He chooses a common morale, “Courage can overcome anything,” and made an adventure packed story out of it. My favorite character is mainly Max and Iggy. This is because they set a good example, particularly Iggy, who shows that impaired individuals are able to do more than you might suspect. Iggy is visually impaired, which blocks him from doing many things, but he overcame that. He broke down boundaries and does what he wants. He is strong and wiser than many in the group. Like Iggy, Max is an example to allot of people. One case she demonstrates that young ladies can do whatever they need. Even though she is a young lady, she is the group leader. She additionally demonstrates the qualities of never surrendering. By watching their activities closely readers can learn numerous lessons. I would recommend this book because it is full of adventure and does not bore you easily. Many times the book continuously surprises and relieves you. He book is also humorous but if I would recommend it, it would be for outgoing people. The Angel Experiment is the most intriguing book I’ve read, combining science-fiction and

Treasure Island was an interesting book that I made lots of connections to. Treasure Island was a different type of book I have ever read before it had more of a Shakespeare like writing to it. I like that it always had a lot of detail, I made a mental map of the places all the characters were because there was so much detail. The connections I will talk about are some people connections, place connections, and then I will talk about what quote I thought summed up the book.

As far as, a personal recommendation as a “must read” book for children, I can honestly say I am torn. The book had some memorable moments and offered some insight on how it must feel to have a sibling with disabilities. Although, the way that

First walking in, one can notice a sign reading Minto Brown Island Park, but continuing down the concrete path, anyone can see calling it a “Park” is a major understatement. Vast fields of tall grass on both sides of the entrance, birds flew and nested, hidden from the prying eyes of humans and predators. Further down the path, there were parked cars, their owners playing fetch with their dogs; dozens and dozens of dogs. As far as the eye can see there were tall, perhaps ancient, trees; it greatly resembled a forest. The path diverges into two at the end of the people park, however if you were to go down the middle of the forked trail, you’d soon find yourself submerged in a lake filled with small fish and amphibian creatures. Follow the left

Therefor a family tried to raise a chimp as they would if it was a human. They live in New York, British Columbia. They just moved and it is mid summer beginning fall. The novel tells the reader about how Ben is going to a new private school. How Zan is enlarging fast. I personally did not find the novel fascinating because I like Horror books better than Fiction. I was interested when Zan was taken away and abused, it was truly sad.