Status
Call number
Genres
Publication
Description
Timothy Findley (1930-2002) was one of Canada's most compelling and best-loved writers. He is the author of The Wars, which won the Governor General's Award and established him as one of Canada's leading writers, as well as Pilgrim and The Piano Man's Daughter, both finalists for The Giller Prize. His other novels, Headhunter, The Telling of Lies, The Last of the Crazy People, The Butterfly Plague, Famous Last Words, Not Wanted on the Voyage, and Spadework; his novella, You Went Away; and his short fiction, Dinner Along the Amazon, Stones, and Dust to Dust, have won numerous awards and are well loved both in Canada and internationally. Elizabeth Rex won the Governor General's Award for Drama and The Stillborn Lover won a Chalmers Award. His works of non-fiction include Inside Memory and From Stone Orchard. Timothy Findley was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. if (SYM == "BIO") {{ document.writeln(" "); }} else {{ document.writeln(""); }}… (more)
User reviews
This is a fascinating dark story about a family that implodes in on itself, slowly at first and then with frightening speed as Hooker scrambles to try and understand what is happening to his family. Iris, and at times Gilbert, try to answer Hooker's questions but the truth continues to elude him. Snippets of overheard conversations lead Hooker to jump to conclusions that turn what should have been a summer of carefree fun for a young boy into one of worry, concern and a frightening plunge for young Hooker into the realities of the world around him.
An excellent powerfully told story and one I highly recommend!
This novel carries very much the construction of a play: events culminating into a dramatic, unavoidable tragedy. The disadvantages are heavy-handed symbolism and foreshadowing, sometimes a sketchy decor and very minor characters that ebb in and out in the periphery. The advantages are a build-up of palpable pressure and an intensely emotional, draining involvement on the part of the reader: it is impossible to be indifferent to the events and characters; dropping the book feels like physically walking away.
This book is best read in one sitting so that the reader can feel the flow and inner logic of the dramatic movement. It is, in my opinion, the best way to understand the characters and their seemingly erratic actions.
A gem within Findley's works that will leave a lasting impression.
From the cover - "[The Last of the Crazy People] is Timothy Findley's first novel, the compelling story of an eleven-year-old boy's private world of bewilderment and conflict."