THE SHIPPING NEWS: Difficult at first, but good News after all

E. Annie Proulx’s “The Shipping News” is a great novel. However, it is not recommended to everybody. It sounds like a paradox, but it is true. To begin with, it is not an easy read. It takes time and patience, but it is worthwhile. The action is very slow and interior, besides much happens outside the characters, the main action is with their feelings and what goes inside their minds and hearts. Thus this is not the kind of novel that appeals to those used to fast and easy books. Moreover, this is a very intellectual material and requires a lot of references and thinking from the reader.Quoyle is a thirty-six years old who has devoted his life to his wife and children. He hasn’t accomplished much, but he’s fine with what they have. However his wife is not happy with this life. She sells their daughters and while is running away she dies. This is falls like a bomb in Quoyle’s life –disturbing his peaceful routine.

In order to restore the peace, he moves to his ancestors’ house in an isolated and cold town. There, along with his aunt, he intends to bring his life back to place. With a new job and meeting an interesting widow, Quoyle realizes that life is good, but he still has some ghosts from the past haunting him.

“The Shipping News” is a novel fulfilled with metaphors. Everything has more than its first meaning. Quoyle is not only the name of the protagonist, but also something related to ships –and it will be through the shipping news that our protagonist will find his place in the world.

Another thing is a special touch in the novel is the quotes from “The Ashley Book of Knots’, written by Clifford W. Ashley, or from “The Mariner’s Dictionary”. They are nice and give the insights on what the chapter will be about –another device related to the use of metaphors–, plus there are illustration of these knots which are very well done and even cute.

The movie version, directed by Lasse Hallström is a great and underrated film. More than being faithful to the novel, it makes justice to the spirit of the story. It is perfect to take the audience into Quoyle’s world. Both movie and book are highly recommended, but only to specific audiences. My suggestion is, if you want to read the book the effort is worthwhile –it is diffcult, but reawarding–, however if you feel this is not the book for you, do not force yourself to read it.

Originalmente publicada em www.Amazon.com em 13/06/04