“The Shipping News,” by Annie Proulx

“The Shipping News” by Annie Proulx, (New York: Scribner; 1993), 337 pages.

The Shipping News is the story of a family’s difficulty in getting their lives back in order following the unexpected loss of a family member, and their decision to relocate from the American state of New York to the family ancestral home in Canada’s Newfoundland. The story centers on Quoyle, an ordinary (actually, very ordinary) newspaper journalist who’s serially adulterous wife is killed in a motor vehicle accident. With his two daughters and his aunt, and the proceeds of a life insurance policy, they relocate to a small fishing town Newfoundland Canada. The story chronicles their difficulties in starting this new phase of their life in a town strange to them, a town dominated by the maritime industry, fishing and their related support industries.

According to anecdotes on the cover of my copy of this book, it was the “winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the national book award.” The book cover also states that the author is “one of the most gifted and original writers in America today,” and the book is “packed with brilliantly original images. Another says the book is “stunning” and “big hearted.” All of these expert opinions are just that, expert opinions. Just as someone’s trash is another person’s treasure, someone’s treasure is another person’s trash. I’m not calling this book trash; rather I’m saying that I have a different opinion from the quoted experts. When it comes to the views of experts, I agree with another author who wrote “on the big issues, the experts are very rarely right.* Proulx’s book, in my opinion, is neither interesting, nor well written. There is not much of a story, and of little story there it, it seem devoid of structure or any specific or broader point. It would be a difficult task to argue that Proulx is an engaging story teller. I labored to finish chapters, and was easily distracted by more interesting diversions, such as passing clouds, and the neighbor’s dog. Proulx also has an annoying habit, or artistic affectation, of omitting verbs. The purpose of this stylistic devise is unclear, but its effect on the readers is to annoy them. Why do authors exempt themselves from the rules of grammar? This annoying habit does not help keep the reader’s attention while laboring under the heavy going of this non-story. This is the only book I’ve read in recent memory where I didn’t want to continue through to the last page. But that’s only my opinion. What would I know? I’m no “expert” on these matters.

* Peter Wright, Spy Catcher, (New York: Viking Penguin, 1987), p.12.