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Annabel
A #1 best seller in Canada, award-winning author Kathleen Winter's debut novel is an intimate portrait of the family of a mixed-gendered child born into a remote, blue-collar sea-side town in Eastern Canada.
In 1968, into the devastating, beautiful landscape of Labrador, a child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor fully girl, but both at once. Only three people are privy to the secret--the baby's parents, Jacinta and Treadway, and their trusted neighbor and midwife, Thomasina. Though Treadway makes the difficult decision to raise the child as a boy named Wayne, the women continue to quietly nurture the child's female side. And as Wayne grows into adulthood within the hypermasculine hunting society of his father, his shadow-self, a girl he thinks of as "Annabel", is never entirely extinguished.
When Wayne finally escapes the confines of his hometown and settles in St. John's, the anonymity of the city grants him the freedom to confront his dual identity. His ultimate choice will once again call into question the integrity and allegiance of those he loves most.
Kathleen Winter has crafted a literary gem about the urge to unveil a mysterious truth in a culture that shuns contradiction, and the body's insistence on coming home. A daringly unusual debut full of unforgettable beauty, Annabel introduces a remarkable new voice to American readers.
In 1968, into the devastating, beautiful landscape of Labrador, a child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor fully girl, but both at once. Only three people are privy to the secret--the baby's parents, Jacinta and Treadway, and their trusted neighbor and midwife, Thomasina. Though Treadway makes the difficult decision to raise the child as a boy named Wayne, the women continue to quietly nurture the child's female side. And as Wayne grows into adulthood within the hypermasculine hunting society of his father, his shadow-self, a girl he thinks of as "Annabel", is never entirely extinguished.
When Wayne finally escapes the confines of his hometown and settles in St. John's, the anonymity of the city grants him the freedom to confront his dual identity. His ultimate choice will once again call into question the integrity and allegiance of those he loves most.
Kathleen Winter has crafted a literary gem about the urge to unveil a mysterious truth in a culture that shuns contradiction, and the body's insistence on coming home. A daringly unusual debut full of unforgettable beauty, Annabel introduces a remarkable new voice to American readers.
462 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2010
273 people are currently reading
13422 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Winter
16 books354 followersKathleen Winter's novel Annabel was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General's Literary Award, the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, the Orange Prize, and numerous other awards. Her Arctic memoir Boundless was shortlisted for Canada's Weston and Taylor non-fiction prizes, and her last novel Lost in September was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award and was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award. Born in the UK, Winter now lives in Montreal after many years in Newfoundland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,537 reviews
June 21, 2022
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!
this book is lovely, but it is a mostly subdued novel about an intersexed child raised as a boy, whose fully operational vagina is sewn up at birth and kept a secret from him until a little health issue brings it to light. this is not a broad, epic tale like Middlesex. it is a subtle, lonely story that takes place in a remote part of canada where men provide for their families by trapping game, and women sew and raise both their vegetables and their children quietly.
wayne is raised as a boy, because the length of his penis at birth qualifies him to be male, but his shadow self, annabel, keeps coming to light. he is not the son his traditionally masculine father treadway wanted, and so becomes a constant disappointment and enigma to him, while his mother jacinta regrets having decided to force a gender upon him in the first place:
Everything Treadway refused to imagine, Jacinta imagined in detail enough for the two of them. Whereas he struck out on his own to decide how to erase the frightening ambiguity of their child, she envisioned living with it as it was. She imagined her daughter beautiful and grown up, in a scarlet satin gown, her male characteristics held secret under the clothing for a time when she might need a warrior's strength and a man's potent aggression. Then she imagined her son as a talented, mythical hunter, his breasts strapped in a concealing vest, his clothes the green of striding forward, his heart the heart of a woman who could secretly direct his path in the ways of intuition and psychological insight. Whenever she imagined her child, grown up without interference from a judgemental world, she imagined its male and female halves as complementing each other, and as being secretly, almost magically powerful. It was the growing up part she did not want to imagine. The social part, the going to school in Labrador part, the jeering part, the what will we tell everyone part, the part that asks how will we give this child so much love it will know no harm from the cruel reactions of people who do not want to understand.
despite his parents' unavoidable mistakes in wayne's upbringing, they are well-intentioned people. treadway experiences a great deal of frustration whenever his son exhibits behavior he interprets as "girly," but apart from one unfortunate act, he mostly bottles up his feelings of confusion and dismay, staying away from home longer and longer on his trapline, leaving wayne alone with his mother, and the few people with whom wayne has managed to form connections.
these supporting cast characters are also pretty phenomenal, and both offer wayne a sort of inspirational role model that will help him in his understanding of himself, as he struggles to determine what is right for him. thomasina, who was the midwife at wayne's birth, and later a teacher at his school, is a woman who yearns to see the world after the death of her husband and daughter. she is fed up with the smallness of her life, and takes her destiny into her own hands, carving her own path through life. wally is the childhood bestie of wayne. she is the girl who shines; the one everyone wants to be around who oozes specialness and promise. wayne loves her, wants to be her, wants to be with her, in this mishmash of conflicting and confusing emotions that all add up to him simply needing to be in her presence. circumstances drive them apart, and further circumstances drop a huge obstacle in wally's path, but special girls always have huge inner resources and indomitable spirits, and wayne is paying attention.
wayne's female traits keep asserting themselves throughout his lifetime,and eventually he becomes aware of the circumstances of his birth. this knowledge will lead him on a puzzling journey of self-discovery, full of contemplation,inner turmoil, and danger, until finally he manages to find a solution that, while it seems like it might only be a temporary crutch, will hopefully also provide him with the confidence and self-awareness that will sustain him long-term.
again, not a plot-driven narrative. there are beautiful location-descriptions, and plenty of insightful meditations on identity and purpose, and a great deal of struggle and acceptance. treadway becomes a magnificent character, after some initial readerly misgivings, but overall, this is a beautiful book that takes its time in the telling, but is certainly worth it.
come to my blog!
this book is lovely, but it is a mostly subdued novel about an intersexed child raised as a boy, whose fully operational vagina is sewn up at birth and kept a secret from him until a little health issue brings it to light. this is not a broad, epic tale like Middlesex. it is a subtle, lonely story that takes place in a remote part of canada where men provide for their families by trapping game, and women sew and raise both their vegetables and their children quietly.
wayne is raised as a boy, because the length of his penis at birth qualifies him to be male, but his shadow self, annabel, keeps coming to light. he is not the son his traditionally masculine father treadway wanted, and so becomes a constant disappointment and enigma to him, while his mother jacinta regrets having decided to force a gender upon him in the first place:
Everything Treadway refused to imagine, Jacinta imagined in detail enough for the two of them. Whereas he struck out on his own to decide how to erase the frightening ambiguity of their child, she envisioned living with it as it was. She imagined her daughter beautiful and grown up, in a scarlet satin gown, her male characteristics held secret under the clothing for a time when she might need a warrior's strength and a man's potent aggression. Then she imagined her son as a talented, mythical hunter, his breasts strapped in a concealing vest, his clothes the green of striding forward, his heart the heart of a woman who could secretly direct his path in the ways of intuition and psychological insight. Whenever she imagined her child, grown up without interference from a judgemental world, she imagined its male and female halves as complementing each other, and as being secretly, almost magically powerful. It was the growing up part she did not want to imagine. The social part, the going to school in Labrador part, the jeering part, the what will we tell everyone part, the part that asks how will we give this child so much love it will know no harm from the cruel reactions of people who do not want to understand.
despite his parents' unavoidable mistakes in wayne's upbringing, they are well-intentioned people. treadway experiences a great deal of frustration whenever his son exhibits behavior he interprets as "girly," but apart from one unfortunate act, he mostly bottles up his feelings of confusion and dismay, staying away from home longer and longer on his trapline, leaving wayne alone with his mother, and the few people with whom wayne has managed to form connections.
these supporting cast characters are also pretty phenomenal, and both offer wayne a sort of inspirational role model that will help him in his understanding of himself, as he struggles to determine what is right for him. thomasina, who was the midwife at wayne's birth, and later a teacher at his school, is a woman who yearns to see the world after the death of her husband and daughter. she is fed up with the smallness of her life, and takes her destiny into her own hands, carving her own path through life. wally is the childhood bestie of wayne. she is the girl who shines; the one everyone wants to be around who oozes specialness and promise. wayne loves her, wants to be her, wants to be with her, in this mishmash of conflicting and confusing emotions that all add up to him simply needing to be in her presence. circumstances drive them apart, and further circumstances drop a huge obstacle in wally's path, but special girls always have huge inner resources and indomitable spirits, and wayne is paying attention.
wayne's female traits keep asserting themselves throughout his lifetime,and eventually he becomes aware of the circumstances of his birth. this knowledge will lead him on a puzzling journey of self-discovery, full of contemplation,inner turmoil, and danger, until finally he manages to find a solution that, while it seems like it might only be a temporary crutch, will hopefully also provide him with the confidence and self-awareness that will sustain him long-term.
again, not a plot-driven narrative. there are beautiful location-descriptions, and plenty of insightful meditations on identity and purpose, and a great deal of struggle and acceptance. treadway becomes a magnificent character, after some initial readerly misgivings, but overall, this is a beautiful book that takes its time in the telling, but is certainly worth it.
come to my blog!
October 17, 2016
Cross-posted at Shelf Inflicted and at Outlaw Reviews
There are not many novels that explore the lives of intersex characters in fiction, so I was thrilled to pick this up at the library.
Kathleen Winter is a gifted writer. Her beautiful words, vivid images and intimate details of family life totally absorbed and unsettled me.
What I was hoping to get out of this novel was insight into the life of Wayne, an intersex child born in Labrador. (I refuse to use the ugly word “hermaphrodite”). His father, Treadway, makes the decision to raise the child as a boy, while his mother, Jacinta, is unhappy about stifling Wayne’s female qualities.
Instead, this story focuses on the quiet rural life of Labrador, the long and lonely seasons where men hunted and women were confined to a laborious indoor life of cooking, scrubbing, and raising children. It also intimately explores the joys and difficulties of family life and how hard it is to raise a child who is different.
I like the complex relationship that Wayne has with his father. There are interesting secondary characters that enrich Wayne’s life, a few who make it very difficult, and a few who add nothing to the narrative. One of these characters, Thomasina, has been supportive of Wayne from the moment of his birth and I’m disappointed that she spent much of her time traveling.
When Wayne gets older, he learns the circumstances of his birth and decides to stop taking hormones. At this point in the story, Wayne should be having more of a reaction to this new knowledge and the changes occurring in his body. Instead, we are subject to a sensational medical crisis that seems improbable and important characters begin to fade away. Wayne becomes more distant as a character and it becomes even harder to understand what he’s feeling.
As soon as Wayne changes his name to Annabel, bad things happen. I won’t say more, but I am surprised at a female author using this to prove a character’s femininity. It’s cruel, it’s disturbing and it’s offensive.
I almost loved this book. Now I’m sad and I’m going to knock off two stars.
There are not many novels that explore the lives of intersex characters in fiction, so I was thrilled to pick this up at the library.
Kathleen Winter is a gifted writer. Her beautiful words, vivid images and intimate details of family life totally absorbed and unsettled me.
What I was hoping to get out of this novel was insight into the life of Wayne, an intersex child born in Labrador. (I refuse to use the ugly word “hermaphrodite”). His father, Treadway, makes the decision to raise the child as a boy, while his mother, Jacinta, is unhappy about stifling Wayne’s female qualities.
Instead, this story focuses on the quiet rural life of Labrador, the long and lonely seasons where men hunted and women were confined to a laborious indoor life of cooking, scrubbing, and raising children. It also intimately explores the joys and difficulties of family life and how hard it is to raise a child who is different.
I like the complex relationship that Wayne has with his father. There are interesting secondary characters that enrich Wayne’s life, a few who make it very difficult, and a few who add nothing to the narrative. One of these characters, Thomasina, has been supportive of Wayne from the moment of his birth and I’m disappointed that she spent much of her time traveling.
“I wouldn’t call what you have a disorder. I’d call it a different order. A different order means a whole new way of being. It could be fantastic. It could be overwhelmingly beautiful, if people weren’t scared.”
When Wayne gets older, he learns the circumstances of his birth and decides to stop taking hormones. At this point in the story, Wayne should be having more of a reaction to this new knowledge and the changes occurring in his body. Instead, we are subject to a sensational medical crisis that seems improbable and important characters begin to fade away. Wayne becomes more distant as a character and it becomes even harder to understand what he’s feeling.
As soon as Wayne changes his name to Annabel, bad things happen. I won’t say more, but I am surprised at a female author using this to prove a character’s femininity. It’s cruel, it’s disturbing and it’s offensive.
I almost loved this book. Now I’m sad and I’m going to knock off two stars.
February 26, 2013
*** SPOILERS, OF WHICH I HIDE ONLY THE MAJOR ONE ***
this book has great promise, mostly in the beautiful language, but i felt it (the book, not the promise), from halfway through to the end, get lost in the writer's fantastic meanderings. this is what i mean: it feels as if kathleen winter, the author, made a conscious decision not to follow narrative conventions of closure and preferred to follow her soul. her soul dictated to her a free form in which threads are left dangling and non-existent threads are picked up as if they had been there all along.
this didn't work for me. i wanted to know what happened to wayne's mother and why wayne's father turned into such a stellar parent. i want to know why thomasina never goes where she is invited and refuses so consistently to stay in the lives she so profoundly affects. she is such a lovely character. why keep her abroad and distant, only to be heard of from postcards?
winter makes of this book the story of the relationship between a son/daughter and his/her father, but we get this only as the story matures and grows towards its (non)conclusion. it is strange, in a book by a woman author, to see women so badly done by. some of them, like wayne's mother, simply wane and disappear; some of them are exiled from the narrative; and wayne is more comfortable confiding in an unreliable and barely-known 15-year-old than in his obviously caring ex-principal.
there are other missed boats, unblossomed buds. mostly, as i said, there seems to be a determination on the part of the author to write differently. this is fine, but you must be able to pull it through. you can't leave your reader dangling, and dangling.
some of the light-handed magical realism is reminiscent of louise erdrich, which is a great accomplishment indeed. some of the writing is breathtaking.
i can't bring myself to say anything about wayne's hermaphroditism. i haven't read enough literature by intersex people (jeffrey eugenides, author of middlesex is not intersex and i have no idea about kathleen winter), or even about intersex people, to know whether this feels true to them. i find that winter captures something here and there, but ultimately fails to bring home to us the exhilaration, the loss, the potential, the richness, the difference, the specialness of the intersex person. in her closure-phobia, she sort of drops the ball at the end. does it really all come down to the fact .
what is wally doing in this story?
i wish this were a draft, and that i could now read the finished book.
this book has great promise, mostly in the beautiful language, but i felt it (the book, not the promise), from halfway through to the end, get lost in the writer's fantastic meanderings. this is what i mean: it feels as if kathleen winter, the author, made a conscious decision not to follow narrative conventions of closure and preferred to follow her soul. her soul dictated to her a free form in which threads are left dangling and non-existent threads are picked up as if they had been there all along.
this didn't work for me. i wanted to know what happened to wayne's mother and why wayne's father turned into such a stellar parent. i want to know why thomasina never goes where she is invited and refuses so consistently to stay in the lives she so profoundly affects. she is such a lovely character. why keep her abroad and distant, only to be heard of from postcards?
winter makes of this book the story of the relationship between a son/daughter and his/her father, but we get this only as the story matures and grows towards its (non)conclusion. it is strange, in a book by a woman author, to see women so badly done by. some of them, like wayne's mother, simply wane and disappear; some of them are exiled from the narrative; and wayne is more comfortable confiding in an unreliable and barely-known 15-year-old than in his obviously caring ex-principal.
there are other missed boats, unblossomed buds. mostly, as i said, there seems to be a determination on the part of the author to write differently. this is fine, but you must be able to pull it through. you can't leave your reader dangling, and dangling.
some of the light-handed magical realism is reminiscent of louise erdrich, which is a great accomplishment indeed. some of the writing is breathtaking.
i can't bring myself to say anything about wayne's hermaphroditism. i haven't read enough literature by intersex people (jeffrey eugenides, author of middlesex is not intersex and i have no idea about kathleen winter), or even about intersex people, to know whether this feels true to them. i find that winter captures something here and there, but ultimately fails to bring home to us the exhilaration, the loss, the potential, the richness, the difference, the specialness of the intersex person. in her closure-phobia, she sort of drops the ball at the end. does it really all come down to the fact .
what is wally doing in this story?
i wish this were a draft, and that i could now read the finished book.
December 7, 2014
This is a wonderful exploration of the meanings of gender through the life of an intersex child born to a family in a remote village in Labrador in the sixties. Many people are born with handicaps or unusual physical traits, but arriving with both a penis and a vagina and mixed glands to boot is quite a challenge to set for a character and for a reader to comprehend. As much as we have advanced on acceptance of different sexual orientations or choice of gender roles, ambiguity in physical sex in a person is still usually disturbing. A bit of transgressive androgyny in our pop stars is about as much as most of us can handle. Yet the lens of Wayne’s development in this tale and emergence of a girl, Annabel, literally hidden inside him, will likely shake you up in strange and beautiful ways.
This is no freak show or lurid tale for Dr. Phil to meet with pablum solutions. It’s a character study of Wayne, his parents, childhood friends, and community in relationship to this secret. In this community, people know their roles, and the division of labor in this harsh environment is strongly divided by gender. Like most men, Wayne’s father, Treadway, spends months away in the winter hunting, harvesting game for food, and trapping for fur. His wife, Jacinta, manages the household and child rearing and participates in the larger community, including projects to bring in extra money. There is no feminist critique of this pattern. As in modern society elsewhere, Jacinta feels unfulfilled in many ways with her lot in life and Treadway suffers from an inability to articulate his feelings. Their love and respect for each other is substantial, yet their division over what to do about Wayne’s condition is a persistent wedge.
You were on your own in Croydon Harbour. In the realm of imagination you were left to your own devices, and this was what most people in Croydon Harbour wanted. This was why they came here, if they came from other places such as Scotland and England and even America; they came to leave behind the collective dreams of an old world and they came to glory in their own footprints on land that had been travelled only by aboriginal peoples and the wild caribou.
The role of the midwife, Thomasina, in fostering the potentials and hopes of each family member is a marvelous and large part of this story. Her initial impulse was just to let nature take its course, consistent with her open approach to giving everyone a chance to evolve:
To Thomasina people were rivers, always ready to move from one state of being into another. It was not fair, she felt, to treat people as if they were finished beings. Everyone was always becoming and unbecoming.
Thomasina helps the couple in coming to terms with their situation and accedes to their seeking medical help from the distant regional hospital in Goose Bay. A seemingly modest surgical solution is adopted involving the sewing the child’s vagina up and using hormones to promote Wayne’s development as a male. Treadway gets his way in the choice to keep the intersex condition a secret from all and to raise the child as a boy. As Wayne grows, both Jacinta and Thomasina seem to regret the lost prospect for a daughter in the family and call him Annabel sometimes as a pet name (the name of the daughter lost to an accident). Meanwhile, Treadway takes special pains to teach him all the manly ways of working and living outdoors, and much of this fatherly care is beautiful and good. Unfortunately, he is hypervigilant in trying to suppress what he perceives as feminine modes of behavior. And Wayne is not compelled like his father and other men in the community who “glory in their own footprints on land that had been travelled only by aboriginal peoples and the wild caribou.”
Not surprisingly, Wayne has a lot of confusion on how to be. He befriends a girl at school, Wally, who is musical and artistic, and together they help each other negotiate the bullies and overbearing teachers at school. Their play leads to a project of creating their own version of the Ponte Vecchio bridge of Florence, decorated with fabrics. The idea of the bridge comes from Thomasina, who travels the world for a number of years, sending periodic postcards of bridges that fascinate her and work subtle magic on Wayne (and on the reader in terms of metaphorical impact). Treadway’s reaction to this harmless and tender play is a tragic turning point in the story. No matter what happens from then on, Wayne is bound in his heart for life to this girl:
He loved Wally Michelin the way he loved constellations, or leaves, or king eider ducks.
Such is the set-up, and it remains for me to hint where this is going to help a prospective reader make a choice. Of course, the secret comes out for Wayne. Despite uncertainties, he muddles through to his teen years and moves to the excitement and anonymity and alienation of a city (St. Johns on Newfoundland Island). Similar to Eugenides’ great novel “Middlesex”, the story here is more than just the imagining of what life must be like for an intersex individual. And as with that other novel, some readers will wonder about the veracity of the coverage of biology and psychology of their characters’ journeys in comparison to real world scenarios. I recommend just letting go of that expectation. Otherwise you will begin to lose confidence any time a writer tries to portray a character who is of the opposite gender. Realistic or not, Wayne’s resilience proves brave and not tortured, and I felt some of the same sense of a launch of a special being on the world as I got from John Irving’s bisexual youth in his outstanding “In One Person.” I leave you a lyrical and powerful quote of the kind of window Wayne makes of the gendered urban society we all take for granted:
Wayne had been watching people. … The street smelled of cigarettes, perfume and coffee, and Wayne saw that the faces, bodies, clothes, and shoes of the men and women who passed him had been divided and thinned. The male and female in them had been both diluted and exaggerated. They were one, extremely so, or they were the other. The women trailed tapered gloves behind them and walked in ludicrous heels, while the men, with their fuzzy sideburns and brown briefcases, looking boring as little beagles out for the same rabbit. You define a tree and you do not see what it is; it becomes its name. It is the same with woman and man. Everywhere Wayne looked there was one or the other, male or female, abandoned by the other. The loneliness of this cracked the street in half. Could the two halves of the street bear to see Wayne walk the fissure and not name him a beast?
This is no freak show or lurid tale for Dr. Phil to meet with pablum solutions. It’s a character study of Wayne, his parents, childhood friends, and community in relationship to this secret. In this community, people know their roles, and the division of labor in this harsh environment is strongly divided by gender. Like most men, Wayne’s father, Treadway, spends months away in the winter hunting, harvesting game for food, and trapping for fur. His wife, Jacinta, manages the household and child rearing and participates in the larger community, including projects to bring in extra money. There is no feminist critique of this pattern. As in modern society elsewhere, Jacinta feels unfulfilled in many ways with her lot in life and Treadway suffers from an inability to articulate his feelings. Their love and respect for each other is substantial, yet their division over what to do about Wayne’s condition is a persistent wedge.
You were on your own in Croydon Harbour. In the realm of imagination you were left to your own devices, and this was what most people in Croydon Harbour wanted. This was why they came here, if they came from other places such as Scotland and England and even America; they came to leave behind the collective dreams of an old world and they came to glory in their own footprints on land that had been travelled only by aboriginal peoples and the wild caribou.
The role of the midwife, Thomasina, in fostering the potentials and hopes of each family member is a marvelous and large part of this story. Her initial impulse was just to let nature take its course, consistent with her open approach to giving everyone a chance to evolve:
To Thomasina people were rivers, always ready to move from one state of being into another. It was not fair, she felt, to treat people as if they were finished beings. Everyone was always becoming and unbecoming.
Thomasina helps the couple in coming to terms with their situation and accedes to their seeking medical help from the distant regional hospital in Goose Bay. A seemingly modest surgical solution is adopted involving the sewing the child’s vagina up and using hormones to promote Wayne’s development as a male. Treadway gets his way in the choice to keep the intersex condition a secret from all and to raise the child as a boy. As Wayne grows, both Jacinta and Thomasina seem to regret the lost prospect for a daughter in the family and call him Annabel sometimes as a pet name (the name of the daughter lost to an accident). Meanwhile, Treadway takes special pains to teach him all the manly ways of working and living outdoors, and much of this fatherly care is beautiful and good. Unfortunately, he is hypervigilant in trying to suppress what he perceives as feminine modes of behavior. And Wayne is not compelled like his father and other men in the community who “glory in their own footprints on land that had been travelled only by aboriginal peoples and the wild caribou.”
Not surprisingly, Wayne has a lot of confusion on how to be. He befriends a girl at school, Wally, who is musical and artistic, and together they help each other negotiate the bullies and overbearing teachers at school. Their play leads to a project of creating their own version of the Ponte Vecchio bridge of Florence, decorated with fabrics. The idea of the bridge comes from Thomasina, who travels the world for a number of years, sending periodic postcards of bridges that fascinate her and work subtle magic on Wayne (and on the reader in terms of metaphorical impact). Treadway’s reaction to this harmless and tender play is a tragic turning point in the story. No matter what happens from then on, Wayne is bound in his heart for life to this girl:
He loved Wally Michelin the way he loved constellations, or leaves, or king eider ducks.
Such is the set-up, and it remains for me to hint where this is going to help a prospective reader make a choice. Of course, the secret comes out for Wayne. Despite uncertainties, he muddles through to his teen years and moves to the excitement and anonymity and alienation of a city (St. Johns on Newfoundland Island). Similar to Eugenides’ great novel “Middlesex”, the story here is more than just the imagining of what life must be like for an intersex individual. And as with that other novel, some readers will wonder about the veracity of the coverage of biology and psychology of their characters’ journeys in comparison to real world scenarios. I recommend just letting go of that expectation. Otherwise you will begin to lose confidence any time a writer tries to portray a character who is of the opposite gender. Realistic or not, Wayne’s resilience proves brave and not tortured, and I felt some of the same sense of a launch of a special being on the world as I got from John Irving’s bisexual youth in his outstanding “In One Person.” I leave you a lyrical and powerful quote of the kind of window Wayne makes of the gendered urban society we all take for granted:
Wayne had been watching people. … The street smelled of cigarettes, perfume and coffee, and Wayne saw that the faces, bodies, clothes, and shoes of the men and women who passed him had been divided and thinned. The male and female in them had been both diluted and exaggerated. They were one, extremely so, or they were the other. The women trailed tapered gloves behind them and walked in ludicrous heels, while the men, with their fuzzy sideburns and brown briefcases, looking boring as little beagles out for the same rabbit. You define a tree and you do not see what it is; it becomes its name. It is the same with woman and man. Everywhere Wayne looked there was one or the other, male or female, abandoned by the other. The loneliness of this cracked the street in half. Could the two halves of the street bear to see Wayne walk the fissure and not name him a beast?
May 11, 2013
Written with compassion this extremely well received debut novel tells the story of raising a hermaphrodite child in a remote Labrador Village. At its core is the father’s misguided decision to give the child a normal life by dictating he is male, a choice that requires burying his female side with a combination of surgery & hormone treatment. A decision that sets the stage for a lifetime of secrecy, a collusion of dishonesty that threatens to tear the family apart.
The tone of the novel is cold and bleak, a character study that should have triggered a deeper emotional response. It captured the isolation & loneliness of Labrador but none of the raw beauty of its landscape, none of the humour and tight community bonding that Newfies are famous for.
Forgive me for getting abstract, the best way I can describe it is to compare it to an artist’s 1st rough sketch. Blurry and undefined, pencil drawn and limited in palette to shades of grey. I can see real talent but only one of the figures, that of the father Treadmore is complete. Painted in flesh tones, an unattractive man so well wrought he breathes - I understood him.
She introduces people then seems to lose interest, most notably the mother Jacinta. The central character Wayne remained a mystery, his emotionless responses downright puzzling.
Nice prose written in short staccato sentences. In keeping with the rest of the book the ending is anticlimactic, the fate of the characters unresolved. I don’t regret reading it, would recommend to anyone interested in gender issues or Canadian Lit.
"That baby is all right the way it is. There's enough room in this world."
The tone of the novel is cold and bleak, a character study that should have triggered a deeper emotional response. It captured the isolation & loneliness of Labrador but none of the raw beauty of its landscape, none of the humour and tight community bonding that Newfies are famous for.
Forgive me for getting abstract, the best way I can describe it is to compare it to an artist’s 1st rough sketch. Blurry and undefined, pencil drawn and limited in palette to shades of grey. I can see real talent but only one of the figures, that of the father Treadmore is complete. Painted in flesh tones, an unattractive man so well wrought he breathes - I understood him.
She introduces people then seems to lose interest, most notably the mother Jacinta. The central character Wayne remained a mystery, his emotionless responses downright puzzling.
Nice prose written in short staccato sentences. In keeping with the rest of the book the ending is anticlimactic, the fate of the characters unresolved. I don’t regret reading it, would recommend to anyone interested in gender issues or Canadian Lit.
"That baby is all right the way it is. There's enough room in this world."
June 4, 2012
The book was the best novel I have ever read. I normally don't like fiction but this is the first novel that ever made me cry while I was reading. It resonated with me on so many aspects:
•I have been struggling with my sexuality for a very long time. Except for one major difference, which is that Wayne is a hermaphrodite and I am a physically "normal" male, I was astonished at the number of similarities between Wayne and me:
••I have always felt like a female soul out of sync with my body. Ever since I was growing up, my family and relatives often insisted that I should act more like a boy and that I was like a girl.
••Mom and my two older sisters were the only people I was close to who were always more understanding and who never enforced to me the need to behave like a boy, as my dad and relatives and even classmates did to me. Also, after years of repressing my true self and adopting behaviours that I hoped would make me seem more like what people would expect of me as a male, I feel as though much of my innate self and femininity have been altered and repressed, and even some parts seem to have been forgotten forever, such that now I feel neither male nor female.
••The only true friends I naturally made from kindergarten to early elementary (grade 3) were females, except, starting around grade 4, I ended up starting to deliberately barricade myself from both females and males, after being tired of being teased for hanging out with girls and being girly; this has been part of my ongoing "project" to adopt manly traits and cut out my innate female-like behaviours, which included hanging out with females. So I have stayed without any friend ever since, and I have been very lonely, though now it's not as bad because I seem to have become inured to it after more than a decade with no single friend (I'm approaching 24 in a few months).
••I had several moments when other person(s) suspected if I liked some other girl(s) in a sexual way when in fact I liked them just as a girl would like another girl or when I just had nothing to do with such girls except for some school or extracurricular purposes. Dad seems to be deliberately doing a lot of this even though I have hinted several times that I don't like girls sexually. He frequently mentions when I will have a girlfriend and my marriage and so on, possibly seeming to believe that there is no such thing as LGBT and denying who I really am.
••People struggling with the problem of the sort that Wayne and I are struggling with seem to unusual that no one seems to be able to help much. Similar but not identical to Wayne's experience, I have previously gone to a psychiatric ward where I met some doctors and several interns, with whom I just felt helpless, like wasting my and their time. It's just unfair why such sexual minorities have to go through this and are born like that in the first place.
••I too have been longing to be secure in terms of sexuality just like the majority of people: “He wished at that moment that his whole life had not been a secret, that lots of people were like him, instead of his being alone in a world where everyone was secure in their place as either woman or man. His aloneness was what made him feel ashamed, and he did not know why it had to be so.”
••“Victoria Huskins looked him in the eye. She did not linger on his hair or his clothing or his makeup. 'So you are selling meat from a van.' She had not asked him about his appearance. They were a thousand miles from Croydon Harbour. She waited for him to tell her more but did not appear to be curious about his maleness or femaleness.” I too have experience dealing with situations where I was uneasy with how the other person(s) would notice or think about my certain traits and behaviours with regard to sexuality. Wayne worried about the makeup when he was meeting Victoria Huskins, but in my case, there are several things, including many subtle behaviours that are difficult to put into words, and also my voice. i.e. It may seem silly but I use a more feminine voice with my family or people to whom I can be myself, and the masculine or lower-pitched voice with strangers or acquaintances.
•This novel seems very timely, so much so that I felt very surprised and thought of the ideas about the curious invisible forces of the universe, like the law of attraction, as if the universe has some kind of a plan for people who live in harmony with its tendencies (as by leaving enough space in daily life for spontaneity, open-mindedness, self-reflection, and so on). A few days before I attended the early April 2012 bookclub to find out that Winter's novel will be the next novel for the meeting in early May (which happened yesterday), I had disclosed my sexuality problem (kind of “coming out") for the first time to one of my second oldest sister in late March, during which I mentioned the possibility of an existence of a female or male soul and how I seem to have been born with a female soul. That's when she revealed a family secret that my parents have been hiding from me for almost 24 years: My mom was pregnant with a third daughter in ~1986, but due to a harsh opposition from dad and his side of the family who badly wanted a son (which is rather understandable from my culture's viewpoint, because he was the oldest son in his whole family and the culture put a great importance on the continuation of family's surname), mom ended up aborting the third daughter under threats of divorce. My very oldest sister had directly witnessed the incident and remember it from conscious memory because she was about 6 years old at the time. But how my second oldest sister found out about this is even more interesting; she was only around two years old at the time and had absolutely no conscious memory of it. But then she told me that, during her early 20s, she had a dream about it; when she woke up, she broached this to parents out of suspicion and my parents admitted it. When I first heard this, I was really shocked and couldn't believe this so I shortly confirmed this with my oldest sister and later with mom. Dad still is unaware that I know this.
•Somewhat related to the immediately above is the idea of medical or spiritual mysteries, specifically reincarnation. I am suspecting that I might be that aborted female soul, though this is only a speculation. I am not religious in any sense, but I read in Buddhist literature that being born is a great opportunity for any soul and that being aborted leaves a great trauma on the soul, such that when the soul is reincarnated after an abortion, the soul is born with disadvantages than if it were given the opportunity to grow without being born. I indeed seem to have been born with a trauma, because I had a lot of fear of anything and everything new, and especially was scared of going to the barbershop because I was extremely fearful of scissors and other metal tools (which might have reminded me of similar tools used in abortion).
•Today's world seems to be severely lacking in compassion, kindness, unconditional love, understanding, valuing of individuality or uniqueness and instead putting much greater importance on the physical or material over the invisible or less tangible. The world is fraught with tendencies like conformity, discouragement of individuality, and other earthy inclinations like judgmentality, closedmindedness, unimaginativeness, labelling and categorization of people as if people were mere static things, materialism, excessive focus on other people's perception of ourselves (as manifest in the use of the makeup), vanity, arrogance, unwillingness to see people for who they are. I also thought that the hardships of Wayne were extended to sexuality problems in general. “Wayne saw that the faces, bodies, clothes, and shoes of the men and women who passed him had been divided and thinned. The male or female in them had been both diluted and exaggerated. They were one, extremely so, or they were the other. The women trailed tapered gloves behind them and walked in ludicrous heels, while the men, with their fuzzy sideburns and brown briefcases, looked boring as little beagles out for the same rabbit. You define a tree and you do not see what it is; it becomes its name. It is the same with woman and man. Everywhere Wayne looked there was one or the other, male or female, abandoned by the other.”
•Treadway's decision to give up the revenge of Wayne's ill treatment by Derek, as well as Donna's bullying of others, reminded me of the idea that the earth seems to be some kind of a purgatory, or how Aldous Huxley said that the earth may be another planet's hell, where everyone has his or her own sufferings and accordingly we all need compassion, regardless of who we are.
Here are some things I was wondering about:
•I was curious whether Wayne's peeling feet is one of Winter's trying to suggest that he is a reincarnated Annabel, with the other two hints being Wayne's recurring dream of being a girl and Thomasina's frequently seeing or calling him as Annabel. The way I see it is that Annabel drowned to death and if a person is in water long enough, the skin peels off. At first, I did not quite understand the significance of this peeling feet but now I think I do, but I would like to make sure. I googled about Annabel's peeling feet but couldn't find anything related to it and several reviews I have read at Goodreads had no mention of it, possibly because it may be a relatively minor aspect compared with other things in the novel.
•With regards to characters, my most favourite has to be Thomasina, who is very compassionate, understanding, human, kind, insightful and wary or critical of the earth's materialistic tendencies. I dislike how Treadway is like my own dad, in that he is closedminded and practices self-denial (at least initially for Treadway), trying to categorize Wayne’s difficulties as a “mental” problem. I didn't like Donna either but I thought I would exhibit some of her characteristics if I were born in fully female body in the first place: desire for popularity, interest in occult, arrogance, and deriving pleasure from others' pain.
•Some members of the bookclub wondered about the meaning of the bridge where Wayne and Wally hung around. One member suggested that it might stand for the reconciliation of Wayne's male and female parts, but is that it?
•I have been struggling with my sexuality for a very long time. Except for one major difference, which is that Wayne is a hermaphrodite and I am a physically "normal" male, I was astonished at the number of similarities between Wayne and me:
••I have always felt like a female soul out of sync with my body. Ever since I was growing up, my family and relatives often insisted that I should act more like a boy and that I was like a girl.
••Mom and my two older sisters were the only people I was close to who were always more understanding and who never enforced to me the need to behave like a boy, as my dad and relatives and even classmates did to me. Also, after years of repressing my true self and adopting behaviours that I hoped would make me seem more like what people would expect of me as a male, I feel as though much of my innate self and femininity have been altered and repressed, and even some parts seem to have been forgotten forever, such that now I feel neither male nor female.
••The only true friends I naturally made from kindergarten to early elementary (grade 3) were females, except, starting around grade 4, I ended up starting to deliberately barricade myself from both females and males, after being tired of being teased for hanging out with girls and being girly; this has been part of my ongoing "project" to adopt manly traits and cut out my innate female-like behaviours, which included hanging out with females. So I have stayed without any friend ever since, and I have been very lonely, though now it's not as bad because I seem to have become inured to it after more than a decade with no single friend (I'm approaching 24 in a few months).
••I had several moments when other person(s) suspected if I liked some other girl(s) in a sexual way when in fact I liked them just as a girl would like another girl or when I just had nothing to do with such girls except for some school or extracurricular purposes. Dad seems to be deliberately doing a lot of this even though I have hinted several times that I don't like girls sexually. He frequently mentions when I will have a girlfriend and my marriage and so on, possibly seeming to believe that there is no such thing as LGBT and denying who I really am.
••People struggling with the problem of the sort that Wayne and I are struggling with seem to unusual that no one seems to be able to help much. Similar but not identical to Wayne's experience, I have previously gone to a psychiatric ward where I met some doctors and several interns, with whom I just felt helpless, like wasting my and their time. It's just unfair why such sexual minorities have to go through this and are born like that in the first place.
••I too have been longing to be secure in terms of sexuality just like the majority of people: “He wished at that moment that his whole life had not been a secret, that lots of people were like him, instead of his being alone in a world where everyone was secure in their place as either woman or man. His aloneness was what made him feel ashamed, and he did not know why it had to be so.”
••“Victoria Huskins looked him in the eye. She did not linger on his hair or his clothing or his makeup. 'So you are selling meat from a van.' She had not asked him about his appearance. They were a thousand miles from Croydon Harbour. She waited for him to tell her more but did not appear to be curious about his maleness or femaleness.” I too have experience dealing with situations where I was uneasy with how the other person(s) would notice or think about my certain traits and behaviours with regard to sexuality. Wayne worried about the makeup when he was meeting Victoria Huskins, but in my case, there are several things, including many subtle behaviours that are difficult to put into words, and also my voice. i.e. It may seem silly but I use a more feminine voice with my family or people to whom I can be myself, and the masculine or lower-pitched voice with strangers or acquaintances.
•This novel seems very timely, so much so that I felt very surprised and thought of the ideas about the curious invisible forces of the universe, like the law of attraction, as if the universe has some kind of a plan for people who live in harmony with its tendencies (as by leaving enough space in daily life for spontaneity, open-mindedness, self-reflection, and so on). A few days before I attended the early April 2012 bookclub to find out that Winter's novel will be the next novel for the meeting in early May (which happened yesterday), I had disclosed my sexuality problem (kind of “coming out") for the first time to one of my second oldest sister in late March, during which I mentioned the possibility of an existence of a female or male soul and how I seem to have been born with a female soul. That's when she revealed a family secret that my parents have been hiding from me for almost 24 years: My mom was pregnant with a third daughter in ~1986, but due to a harsh opposition from dad and his side of the family who badly wanted a son (which is rather understandable from my culture's viewpoint, because he was the oldest son in his whole family and the culture put a great importance on the continuation of family's surname), mom ended up aborting the third daughter under threats of divorce. My very oldest sister had directly witnessed the incident and remember it from conscious memory because she was about 6 years old at the time. But how my second oldest sister found out about this is even more interesting; she was only around two years old at the time and had absolutely no conscious memory of it. But then she told me that, during her early 20s, she had a dream about it; when she woke up, she broached this to parents out of suspicion and my parents admitted it. When I first heard this, I was really shocked and couldn't believe this so I shortly confirmed this with my oldest sister and later with mom. Dad still is unaware that I know this.
•Somewhat related to the immediately above is the idea of medical or spiritual mysteries, specifically reincarnation. I am suspecting that I might be that aborted female soul, though this is only a speculation. I am not religious in any sense, but I read in Buddhist literature that being born is a great opportunity for any soul and that being aborted leaves a great trauma on the soul, such that when the soul is reincarnated after an abortion, the soul is born with disadvantages than if it were given the opportunity to grow without being born. I indeed seem to have been born with a trauma, because I had a lot of fear of anything and everything new, and especially was scared of going to the barbershop because I was extremely fearful of scissors and other metal tools (which might have reminded me of similar tools used in abortion).
•Today's world seems to be severely lacking in compassion, kindness, unconditional love, understanding, valuing of individuality or uniqueness and instead putting much greater importance on the physical or material over the invisible or less tangible. The world is fraught with tendencies like conformity, discouragement of individuality, and other earthy inclinations like judgmentality, closedmindedness, unimaginativeness, labelling and categorization of people as if people were mere static things, materialism, excessive focus on other people's perception of ourselves (as manifest in the use of the makeup), vanity, arrogance, unwillingness to see people for who they are. I also thought that the hardships of Wayne were extended to sexuality problems in general. “Wayne saw that the faces, bodies, clothes, and shoes of the men and women who passed him had been divided and thinned. The male or female in them had been both diluted and exaggerated. They were one, extremely so, or they were the other. The women trailed tapered gloves behind them and walked in ludicrous heels, while the men, with their fuzzy sideburns and brown briefcases, looked boring as little beagles out for the same rabbit. You define a tree and you do not see what it is; it becomes its name. It is the same with woman and man. Everywhere Wayne looked there was one or the other, male or female, abandoned by the other.”
•Treadway's decision to give up the revenge of Wayne's ill treatment by Derek, as well as Donna's bullying of others, reminded me of the idea that the earth seems to be some kind of a purgatory, or how Aldous Huxley said that the earth may be another planet's hell, where everyone has his or her own sufferings and accordingly we all need compassion, regardless of who we are.
Here are some things I was wondering about:
•I was curious whether Wayne's peeling feet is one of Winter's trying to suggest that he is a reincarnated Annabel, with the other two hints being Wayne's recurring dream of being a girl and Thomasina's frequently seeing or calling him as Annabel. The way I see it is that Annabel drowned to death and if a person is in water long enough, the skin peels off. At first, I did not quite understand the significance of this peeling feet but now I think I do, but I would like to make sure. I googled about Annabel's peeling feet but couldn't find anything related to it and several reviews I have read at Goodreads had no mention of it, possibly because it may be a relatively minor aspect compared with other things in the novel.
•With regards to characters, my most favourite has to be Thomasina, who is very compassionate, understanding, human, kind, insightful and wary or critical of the earth's materialistic tendencies. I dislike how Treadway is like my own dad, in that he is closedminded and practices self-denial (at least initially for Treadway), trying to categorize Wayne’s difficulties as a “mental” problem. I didn't like Donna either but I thought I would exhibit some of her characteristics if I were born in fully female body in the first place: desire for popularity, interest in occult, arrogance, and deriving pleasure from others' pain.
•Some members of the bookclub wondered about the meaning of the bridge where Wayne and Wally hung around. One member suggested that it might stand for the reconciliation of Wayne's male and female parts, but is that it?
January 18, 2015
This sensitive and powerful novel reads like one from a seasoned author, not at all like a debut novel.
In a small town in Newfoundland when a baby is born with both male and female physical identities, surgery is performed and a secret is forged between new parents, Treadway and Jacinta, and Jacinta’s friend Thomasina. It’s a secret kept from everyone including the child itself. The baby is brought up as a male, Wayne; Treadway is determined to instil masculine skills in Wayne while Thomasina calls him Annabel. Jacinta acknowledges Wayne’s feminine side and Wayne longs for sparkling bathing suits and soft dresses but keeps these desires hidden from Treadway. Life goes as well as can be expected until Wayne’s teens when his latent biology forces itself to the fore. Rushed to hospital by Thomasina, Wayne learns truths about his body that alters the course of his life.
Kathleen Winter’s emphatic, quiet yet powerful voice beautifully crafts this novel of the wilderness, tenderness and a person’s ability to change. A novel well worth reading; 4★
July 24, 2011
I finished "Annabel" just a couple days ago. And i have to say that i'm incredibly ambivalent.
On the one hand, i was completely engrossed, especially as Wayne was hitting puberty and starting to discover that, yeah, things were quite as should be expected with his body. I found the book beautifully written, with well-drawn characters and a great physical setting.
On the other hand, i really wonder about Winters' use of a main character who's intersexed. It's clear she comes from a feminist background with a feminist analysis of traditional gender roles. And being a feminist myself, i certainly have no problem with that! But is she just using intersex to explore issues of gender dichotomies? I poked around online and found one interview with her where she says she did "a little" research on intersex before starting the book. And i don't think that "a little" is really enough when you're writing about an oppressed group to which you don't belong and to which you have little exposure, something else to which she admits.
I also tried to find a review of the book by anyone who is intersexed and couldn't. I really want to know what some intersexed folks think about this. I did confirm that it is essentially impossible for anyone who is "diagnosed" as a "true hermaphrodite" (i don't think there's a less offensive version of that phrase) to experience what happens within Wayne's body about half-way through the book. This is a massively huge problem with the plot, especially since that experience proves so pivotal to the book and to Wayne's self-knowledge.
I did, of course, find Wayne as a child completely charming and very much like some of the feminine boys whom i volunteer with. I desperately wanted him to move to Boston (or, heck, *any* big city), find other intersexed people, learn that he wasn't alone in the world, discover the word "intersexed," and get some decent, sensitive medical care. His isolation is so painful.
I really wonder how true-to-life his emotional experience of self is, especially after he finds out that he's intersexed and doesn't have a massive crisis about it. Not that there aren't intersexed folks like that out there. But my understanding is that that sort of reaction (or lack thereof) to finding out what the heck has been going on with your body all your life is pretty unusual.
Is this another instance of feminist writers exploiting intersexed experience to prove a point? I dunno. I don't think that Winters is insensitive to intersexed folks' lives. But it doesn't seem like she's terribly grounded in them, either. All of the symbolism -- the bridges, Wayne being biracial, the intersex itself, etc. -- hint at her having an agenda way beyond being sincere in her portrayal of an intersexed life and experience.
On the one hand, i was completely engrossed, especially as Wayne was hitting puberty and starting to discover that, yeah, things were quite as should be expected with his body. I found the book beautifully written, with well-drawn characters and a great physical setting.
On the other hand, i really wonder about Winters' use of a main character who's intersexed. It's clear she comes from a feminist background with a feminist analysis of traditional gender roles. And being a feminist myself, i certainly have no problem with that! But is she just using intersex to explore issues of gender dichotomies? I poked around online and found one interview with her where she says she did "a little" research on intersex before starting the book. And i don't think that "a little" is really enough when you're writing about an oppressed group to which you don't belong and to which you have little exposure, something else to which she admits.
I also tried to find a review of the book by anyone who is intersexed and couldn't. I really want to know what some intersexed folks think about this. I did confirm that it is essentially impossible for anyone who is "diagnosed" as a "true hermaphrodite" (i don't think there's a less offensive version of that phrase) to experience what happens within Wayne's body about half-way through the book. This is a massively huge problem with the plot, especially since that experience proves so pivotal to the book and to Wayne's self-knowledge.
I did, of course, find Wayne as a child completely charming and very much like some of the feminine boys whom i volunteer with. I desperately wanted him to move to Boston (or, heck, *any* big city), find other intersexed people, learn that he wasn't alone in the world, discover the word "intersexed," and get some decent, sensitive medical care. His isolation is so painful.
I really wonder how true-to-life his emotional experience of self is, especially after he finds out that he's intersexed and doesn't have a massive crisis about it. Not that there aren't intersexed folks like that out there. But my understanding is that that sort of reaction (or lack thereof) to finding out what the heck has been going on with your body all your life is pretty unusual.
Is this another instance of feminist writers exploiting intersexed experience to prove a point? I dunno. I don't think that Winters is insensitive to intersexed folks' lives. But it doesn't seem like she's terribly grounded in them, either. All of the symbolism -- the bridges, Wayne being biracial, the intersex itself, etc. -- hint at her having an agenda way beyond being sincere in her portrayal of an intersexed life and experience.
November 15, 2021
As can be expected, "Annabel" is being compared to Eugenide's Pulitzer-Winning "Middlesex", which I have shelved on my all time favorites. In my opinion, although these two novels are medically about the same thing, an intersex youth adapting to life, the similarities do not continue much further. Unlike Eugenides, Winter has approached this tender theme with much more of an individual, micro rather than macro focus. Even the setting is subdued, a middle of the wilderness town in the depths of Canada. "Middlesex" was saga-like, discussing complexities across generations, continents, time periods; In other words, perfect for The Pulitzer Prize.
In many ways, I appreciated Winter's way more, as I found myself lost on more than one occasion while reading "Middlesex"; focused on more characters than I cared. "Annabel", though far less ambitious politically, philosophically, socially, etcetera, is as amazing, as original, as ingenious, as insightful.
Admittedly, the fact that this was Winter's debut did show in some of the pacing as well as overall storytelling coherence. Her picturesque prose, however, had me overlooking that quite easily. Winter's words, describing the loneliness both inside Wayne and/or Annabel as well as the snow-covered mountains of Canada, especially transporting & lyrical.
There is no need to compare to Eugenides, as Winter has given us a debut novel that illustrates such promise it stands well enough on its own.
In many ways, I appreciated Winter's way more, as I found myself lost on more than one occasion while reading "Middlesex"; focused on more characters than I cared. "Annabel", though far less ambitious politically, philosophically, socially, etcetera, is as amazing, as original, as ingenious, as insightful.
Admittedly, the fact that this was Winter's debut did show in some of the pacing as well as overall storytelling coherence. Her picturesque prose, however, had me overlooking that quite easily. Winter's words, describing the loneliness both inside Wayne and/or Annabel as well as the snow-covered mountains of Canada, especially transporting & lyrical.
There is no need to compare to Eugenides, as Winter has given us a debut novel that illustrates such promise it stands well enough on its own.
December 24, 2012
The lone white caribou that appears as a vision to the blind hunter is just one of several allegorical animals that appear or are called upon at different decisive moments in the story. White caribou don't move that far south... "Why does anybody break away from the herd?" This allegorical image gives the reader a sense how much Kathleen Winter places nature and landscapes into a prominent position in her debut novel, ANNABEL: she conveys its mystique in a perceptive, almost poetic language, and, later on, convincingly contrasts it to the cityscape of the capital of Newfoundland. With her primary focus on the small fishing and hunting community on a remote part of southeastern Labrador, Croydon Harbour, "where... human life came second to the life of the big land, and no one seemed to mind...", the author alerts us from the outset that her story would have played out differently if the events had not occurred in this community and at that time...
Treadway Blake,traditional hunter of part Innu background, is much more in tune with the sounds of the wild, the language of the duck's movements in the wind, the rushing of the waters, than with domestic life and talking to human beings. "[H]e considered the house to belong to his wife, while the place where waters changed directions belonged to him, and would belong to any son he had." Yet, when his child is born, it is not the son he had expected: the newborn is a hermaphrodite. The father's hopes and his deep-seated need for a son push aside any hesitation or doubt on the part of the child's mother, Jacinta. While she hopes to defer any decision, the father named the newborn Wayne. While doctors in the district town have simplified answers to the "problem", i.e. surgery, supplemented by ever heavier doses of medication to suppress the female side in the growing child, the parents have no language to communicate their emotions and concerns regarding their child. Wayne grows up without knowing his dual identity. It becomes a strictly kept secret that only Thomasina, friend and midwife at the birth, shares with the parents. However, for her Wayne is Annabel; recognizing Wayne's female side that remind of her own daughter recently lost to the sea...
While Winter tells Wayhe's story more or less chronologically, the narrative is not linear. Instead it concentrates on events and developments that place one or the other central character into view, allowing the reader to understand situations, individuals and relationships from different angles. It also keeps the storyline richer. Wayne remains, of course, the central character and we follow him into onset of puberty with its growing uncertainty as to why he is different and why he feels the way he does. When Treadway is at home, Wayne does everything to please his father and to fulfil the role of a good son. His relationship to his mother suffers from the barrier between them that the secret of his birth had imposed on her. However, Wayne needs friends and confidantes to provide answers to his questions. His one real childhood friendship, with the girl Wally, is rather special, in a deep emotional way. But neither with her nor with Thomasina,who he admires, does he find the courage to confide his confusions and concerns. When the facts of puberty lead to an urgent crisis, Thomasina responds immediately. In its aftermath decisions affecting Wayne's future have to be taken and Thomasina takes charge. She develop into Treadway's counterpart by forcefully challenging his stubbornness and inflexibility as regards his child. At this stage Wayne's situation is becoming intolerable and, not surprisingly, he, like the white caribou, has to "break away from the herd" to embark on his or her self-discovery. Will the city which can offer him anonymity be the place where Wayne/Annabel can find who he/she is? Treadway, in his own quiet and reflective way, having retreated more and more to the wild, yet will eventually learn to confront his own demons with unexpected results. Jacinta, on the other hand and quite surprisingly, totally fades into the background.
With ANNABEL, Kathleen Winter has, in the first place, written a touching coming of age story of an unusual young person, torn by his dual gender identity and striving to fulfil the societal role expected of him. She explores a topic that while uncommon, but not rare, has not been treated very often in fiction and she does it with great sensitivity and empathy. By placing her protagonists into the specific time (i.e. starting in 1968) and into a remote traditional society, the author can go deeper into exploring the challenges a young person would face, trying to fit into his/her environment while being physically, mentally and/or emotionally different from the perceived "typical" gender stereotypes of that society.
For me, what stands out in the novel is how the author captures the inner struggle of this young person who grows up living in total ignorance of the fundamental facts of his/her sexual duality, surrounded by secrets, overbearing demands and without the confidence to share his own secrets. There is much beauty in descriptions of the landscapes and gentleness in the depiction of Wayne/Annabel's emotions. One can find weaknesses in the story in terms of plausibility of some aspects or the introduction of convenient coincidences. Some characters were less developed as they could have been, especially Jacinta whose fading away is surprising to say the least. Still, they do not outweigh the tremendous achievements in a debut novel. It is overall a very absorbing story and leaves one pondering gender stereotypes and the gender continuum on which everybody has a place.
Treadway Blake,traditional hunter of part Innu background, is much more in tune with the sounds of the wild, the language of the duck's movements in the wind, the rushing of the waters, than with domestic life and talking to human beings. "[H]e considered the house to belong to his wife, while the place where waters changed directions belonged to him, and would belong to any son he had." Yet, when his child is born, it is not the son he had expected: the newborn is a hermaphrodite. The father's hopes and his deep-seated need for a son push aside any hesitation or doubt on the part of the child's mother, Jacinta. While she hopes to defer any decision, the father named the newborn Wayne. While doctors in the district town have simplified answers to the "problem", i.e. surgery, supplemented by ever heavier doses of medication to suppress the female side in the growing child, the parents have no language to communicate their emotions and concerns regarding their child. Wayne grows up without knowing his dual identity. It becomes a strictly kept secret that only Thomasina, friend and midwife at the birth, shares with the parents. However, for her Wayne is Annabel; recognizing Wayne's female side that remind of her own daughter recently lost to the sea...
While Winter tells Wayhe's story more or less chronologically, the narrative is not linear. Instead it concentrates on events and developments that place one or the other central character into view, allowing the reader to understand situations, individuals and relationships from different angles. It also keeps the storyline richer. Wayne remains, of course, the central character and we follow him into onset of puberty with its growing uncertainty as to why he is different and why he feels the way he does. When Treadway is at home, Wayne does everything to please his father and to fulfil the role of a good son. His relationship to his mother suffers from the barrier between them that the secret of his birth had imposed on her. However, Wayne needs friends and confidantes to provide answers to his questions. His one real childhood friendship, with the girl Wally, is rather special, in a deep emotional way. But neither with her nor with Thomasina,who he admires, does he find the courage to confide his confusions and concerns. When the facts of puberty lead to an urgent crisis, Thomasina responds immediately. In its aftermath decisions affecting Wayne's future have to be taken and Thomasina takes charge. She develop into Treadway's counterpart by forcefully challenging his stubbornness and inflexibility as regards his child. At this stage Wayne's situation is becoming intolerable and, not surprisingly, he, like the white caribou, has to "break away from the herd" to embark on his or her self-discovery. Will the city which can offer him anonymity be the place where Wayne/Annabel can find who he/she is? Treadway, in his own quiet and reflective way, having retreated more and more to the wild, yet will eventually learn to confront his own demons with unexpected results. Jacinta, on the other hand and quite surprisingly, totally fades into the background.
With ANNABEL, Kathleen Winter has, in the first place, written a touching coming of age story of an unusual young person, torn by his dual gender identity and striving to fulfil the societal role expected of him. She explores a topic that while uncommon, but not rare, has not been treated very often in fiction and she does it with great sensitivity and empathy. By placing her protagonists into the specific time (i.e. starting in 1968) and into a remote traditional society, the author can go deeper into exploring the challenges a young person would face, trying to fit into his/her environment while being physically, mentally and/or emotionally different from the perceived "typical" gender stereotypes of that society.
For me, what stands out in the novel is how the author captures the inner struggle of this young person who grows up living in total ignorance of the fundamental facts of his/her sexual duality, surrounded by secrets, overbearing demands and without the confidence to share his own secrets. There is much beauty in descriptions of the landscapes and gentleness in the depiction of Wayne/Annabel's emotions. One can find weaknesses in the story in terms of plausibility of some aspects or the introduction of convenient coincidences. Some characters were less developed as they could have been, especially Jacinta whose fading away is surprising to say the least. Still, they do not outweigh the tremendous achievements in a debut novel. It is overall a very absorbing story and leaves one pondering gender stereotypes and the gender continuum on which everybody has a place.
October 15, 2011
Annabel is one of the most amazing books I've read in a long time. I have to say I was a bit skeptical when I picked it up, as it is a story of an intersexed child born into a family in rural Labrador. I was afraid to find a one-dimensional story with lots of overt politics. Instead, I found a complex story told in beautiful language that brought the land to life, as much as the lives of the people who find themselves in an extraordinary situation, totally foreign to this rural community.
The parents are in traditional gender roles, the father is a trapper and fisherman, the mother is a housewife. The only other person who knows about the baby with both genders is a friend who was present at the time of the birth, a widow whose own child, Annabel, was lost in the accident that killed her husband. She is the one who nurtures the young girlchild inside Wayne, the boy his parents chose over a girl, sewing his/her female genitalia closed.
The unfolding of Wayne/Annabel's life begins with childhood, a time when the issue of gender is not something the child understands. He/she is fascinated by bridges - an apt metaphor. The first bridge he/she builds, the one in his/her early childhood is captivating and beautiful, and Winter allows us to see just how magical it is to Wayne/Annabel and his best friend (a girl,) as well as his father's dismay. His father goes on a program of trying to "masculinize" Wayne/Annabel; all Wayne/Annabel knows is that he hates camping and that his/her father is disappointed in him/her.
(What trouble we are in with our pronouns becomes evident not only in the story, but in trying to write about it. )
An echoing story, told very subtle, is that of the two cultures of Inuit and European contained in the family, particularly the father. The portrayal of indigenous way of percieing and understanding is not heavy-handed. In fact, if you are not familiar with indigenous ways of seeing the world, you might not pick up on those instances where it is portrayed, rather than named outright.
What made the story so powerful for me, is the immense compassion with which it is told, and the beauty of the language in which Winter tells it. I was overwhelmed often with the sheer beauty of the description, as well as with the ways in which this family learns to adapt to a life which, to them, must seem a unique situation.
It's been about three months since I read this story, and I find myself wanting to read it again, to immerse myself again in that world, and those characters. This book is political fiction at its best. It doesn't scream or scold or even try to intellectually convince us, it simply brings us into a world and engages our compassion towards those that we might perceive as "other."
The parents are in traditional gender roles, the father is a trapper and fisherman, the mother is a housewife. The only other person who knows about the baby with both genders is a friend who was present at the time of the birth, a widow whose own child, Annabel, was lost in the accident that killed her husband. She is the one who nurtures the young girlchild inside Wayne, the boy his parents chose over a girl, sewing his/her female genitalia closed.
The unfolding of Wayne/Annabel's life begins with childhood, a time when the issue of gender is not something the child understands. He/she is fascinated by bridges - an apt metaphor. The first bridge he/she builds, the one in his/her early childhood is captivating and beautiful, and Winter allows us to see just how magical it is to Wayne/Annabel and his best friend (a girl,) as well as his father's dismay. His father goes on a program of trying to "masculinize" Wayne/Annabel; all Wayne/Annabel knows is that he hates camping and that his/her father is disappointed in him/her.
(What trouble we are in with our pronouns becomes evident not only in the story, but in trying to write about it. )
An echoing story, told very subtle, is that of the two cultures of Inuit and European contained in the family, particularly the father. The portrayal of indigenous way of percieing and understanding is not heavy-handed. In fact, if you are not familiar with indigenous ways of seeing the world, you might not pick up on those instances where it is portrayed, rather than named outright.
What made the story so powerful for me, is the immense compassion with which it is told, and the beauty of the language in which Winter tells it. I was overwhelmed often with the sheer beauty of the description, as well as with the ways in which this family learns to adapt to a life which, to them, must seem a unique situation.
It's been about three months since I read this story, and I find myself wanting to read it again, to immerse myself again in that world, and those characters. This book is political fiction at its best. It doesn't scream or scold or even try to intellectually convince us, it simply brings us into a world and engages our compassion towards those that we might perceive as "other."
April 5, 2014
Wow, Canada Reads - thank you. A beautiful, poetic book tying loneliness to landscapes and journeys internal and external. Gorgeous GORGEOUS writing. This book opens up your heart and though it is often sad, it leaves you with hope and filled with wonder at people's goodness and the strength of their compassion and connections with one another.
August 27, 2016
So I gave this book three stars, but I have to say I found it to be pretty disappointing.
It's great that Wayne is ok with being androgynous, but the problem is he's never shown making that choice, or really questioning who he is, and it's hard to believe someone would be that blase in this situation.
And so really, what is the point of this book?
It's great that Wayne is ok with being androgynous, but the problem is he's never shown making that choice, or really questioning who he is, and it's hard to believe someone would be that blase in this situation.
And so really, what is the point of this book?
October 3, 2018
ANNABEL
Written by Kathleen Winter
2010; House of Anansi Press (464 Pages)
Genre: Canadian, fiction, literary, historical fiction, sexuality, transgender
RATING:4.5 STARS
A beautifully haunting novel written with such grace and compassion that I could not put it down till I finished. I first heard about this novel on BBC radio where they had adapted it to radio. I was blown away by it! It was an abridged version of the book so I knew as soon as it ended I had to fin this novel. While it was published in 2010 I read it in 2011 and it is easily one of my favourite novels of 2011 and definitely on my general favorites list.
Wayne has never felt right in his own body or how he feels about certain things. What Wayne does not know is that he was born with both genitalia and his father chose male, while his mother thought he should be a girl. As we see him gravitating towards femininity, we also experience the heartbreaking isolation Wayne feels from others. Read before you judge this well-written novel!
My Novelesque Blog
Written by Kathleen Winter
2010; House of Anansi Press (464 Pages)
Genre: Canadian, fiction, literary, historical fiction, sexuality, transgender
RATING:4.5 STARS
A beautifully haunting novel written with such grace and compassion that I could not put it down till I finished. I first heard about this novel on BBC radio where they had adapted it to radio. I was blown away by it! It was an abridged version of the book so I knew as soon as it ended I had to fin this novel. While it was published in 2010 I read it in 2011 and it is easily one of my favourite novels of 2011 and definitely on my general favorites list.
Wayne has never felt right in his own body or how he feels about certain things. What Wayne does not know is that he was born with both genitalia and his father chose male, while his mother thought he should be a girl. As we see him gravitating towards femininity, we also experience the heartbreaking isolation Wayne feels from others. Read before you judge this well-written novel!
My Novelesque Blog
April 13, 2021
This is a book about a complex subject. The writing is truly lyrical in places. I feel conflicted. There is both beauty and ugliness in this novel, sensitivity and brutality. However, I was left untouched, when I expected to be most moved, and yet, there were times when my breath was taken away.
The quote that speaks to me most is: "How tame they were, living in the same wind, night, and wilderness in which she hunted and was hunted."
The quote that speaks to me most is: "How tame they were, living in the same wind, night, and wilderness in which she hunted and was hunted."
November 24, 2016
Opinião no blogue
http://amiudageek.blogspot.pt/2016/11...
http://amiudageek.blogspot.pt/2016/11...
May 12, 2012
This book was so beautiful that I had to stop over and over again to pause and breathe. It was AMAZING.
Remember when you read Middlesex and you thought, "Gosh, Middlesex was really good, except that it had all these things going on, and Cal seemed kind of distant sometimes" and you wished that there was something just a little better?
Annabel is that book.
It's lush and lyrical, and the protagonist, Wayne-who-is-also-sometimes-Annabel is gorgeously painted. What Winters has done in bringing us this child, who grows into adulthood surrounded by secrets and snow and adults who don't know what to do with him, is spectacular.
I wish I had not read it, because now I cannot read it for the first time ever again.
The characterization is extremely skilled - even the minor characters are carefully drawn, and the major characters are so deftly managed that the reader emerges from the book devastated and elated by all of them. Their choices make sense, whether or not they're making the right choice. Nothing in the book is loose or careless. And the setting... I am a glutton for setting, and it is rare for me to be quite this entranced by place. I feel that setting should be a character in the novel, almost, and Winters succeeds in giving us a Labrador that feels as real as the room in which I am writing this right now.
I don't mean to gush, but wow. This book knocked me out.
Remember when you read Middlesex and you thought, "Gosh, Middlesex was really good, except that it had all these things going on, and Cal seemed kind of distant sometimes" and you wished that there was something just a little better?
Annabel is that book.
It's lush and lyrical, and the protagonist, Wayne-who-is-also-sometimes-Annabel is gorgeously painted. What Winters has done in bringing us this child, who grows into adulthood surrounded by secrets and snow and adults who don't know what to do with him, is spectacular.
I wish I had not read it, because now I cannot read it for the first time ever again.
The characterization is extremely skilled - even the minor characters are carefully drawn, and the major characters are so deftly managed that the reader emerges from the book devastated and elated by all of them. Their choices make sense, whether or not they're making the right choice. Nothing in the book is loose or careless. And the setting... I am a glutton for setting, and it is rare for me to be quite this entranced by place. I feel that setting should be a character in the novel, almost, and Winters succeeds in giving us a Labrador that feels as real as the room in which I am writing this right now.
I don't mean to gush, but wow. This book knocked me out.
August 11, 2018
A truly beautiful, honest, touching story. I loved everything about it. Winter did a tender job of dealing with a tender topic, and I appreciated her every word.
June 16, 2013
Ugghh.
I still have 100 pages left, but I can't contain myself any longer. I loved this book until a little after the halfway mark where the whole thing started to fall apart. The sensitivity and care shown towards the subject of an intersex person are completely destroyed by the author's sensational use of a biological impossibility on the main character. Why throw in a horrible urban legend instead of featuring the real issues and concerns an intersex person is faced with daily?
I also can't help but feel that the story itself would have been much more interesting if it had involved Annabel's coming to terms with the male/female duality of her nature, not merely focusing on the feminine half she had been denied. And don't even get me started on the heavy-handed symbolism of Annabel's friend, the girl who "lost her voice," or the rape scene haphazardly thrown in seemingly for the hell of it.
In other words, don't even bother reading this one. End of rant.
I still have 100 pages left, but I can't contain myself any longer. I loved this book until a little after the halfway mark where the whole thing started to fall apart. The sensitivity and care shown towards the subject of an intersex person are completely destroyed by the author's sensational use of a biological impossibility on the main character. Why throw in a horrible urban legend instead of featuring the real issues and concerns an intersex person is faced with daily?
I also can't help but feel that the story itself would have been much more interesting if it had involved Annabel's coming to terms with the male/female duality of her nature, not merely focusing on the feminine half she had been denied. And don't even get me started on the heavy-handed symbolism of Annabel's friend, the girl who "lost her voice," or the rape scene haphazardly thrown in seemingly for the hell of it.
In other words, don't even bother reading this one. End of rant.
September 30, 2017
Povestea lui Wayne/Annabel a schimbat ceva in sufletul meu. Daca inainte auzeam cuvantul hermafrodit, evitam sa ma gandesc la el. Mintea mea nu isi putea imagina un om cu ambele sexe. Citind Annabel am invatat cate ceva din viata unui om care s-a nascut hermafrodit, ce simte el si parintii lui. Singuratatea folosita ca un scut de aparare fata de oameni, pentru ca rautatea oamenilor poate fi ucigatoare pentru cine nu face parte din tiparul de "a fi normal".
In anul 1968 in fictionalul Croydon Harbour se naste un copil hermafrodit, caruia tatal ii decide sexul barbatesc. Wayne urmeaza un tratament cu hormoni sa arate ca un barbat, dar el simte si gandeste ca o fata. "Wayne a visat din nou ca era fata azi-noapte", scrisese Wally, prietena lui in jurnalul ei.
Annabel merita citita nu numai pentru subiectul inedit, dar si pentru proza frumoasa si plina de poezie.
In anul 1968 in fictionalul Croydon Harbour se naste un copil hermafrodit, caruia tatal ii decide sexul barbatesc. Wayne urmeaza un tratament cu hormoni sa arate ca un barbat, dar el simte si gandeste ca o fata. "Wayne a visat din nou ca era fata azi-noapte", scrisese Wally, prietena lui in jurnalul ei.
Annabel merita citita nu numai pentru subiectul inedit, dar si pentru proza frumoasa si plina de poezie.
September 3, 2018
As is visible, I took a lot of time to finish this. Mostly because the writing is very atmospheric, and detailed to the point that it reminded me a lot of Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. It is immersed in the setting of Labrador, and Newfoundland. The beauty and the community, in contrast with finding one’s identity. How does a place limit and expand your sense of self, what does belonging really entail? All of these wonderful, thoughtful questions were present throughout the entire book.
It’s very a character driven novel, something I usually don’t angle towards because it gets a little confusing, however I did really enjoy this one. Some minor characters, were also well written and as a debut I think it’s a job well done. Would recommend if you like short, descriptive, cultural setting with a character oriented plot.
It’s very a character driven novel, something I usually don’t angle towards because it gets a little confusing, however I did really enjoy this one. Some minor characters, were also well written and as a debut I think it’s a job well done. Would recommend if you like short, descriptive, cultural setting with a character oriented plot.
July 9, 2018
A touching story of a family's journey in coming to terms with a tough physical issue. The writing in this reminded me at times of Louise Erdrich which made it even better. I have read Middlesex which was also really good but I think this one may be more accessible and possibly a more heartfelt experience. It gives us a thoughtful view into the difficulties around this relatively rare condition and hopefully some compassion towards those who experience this issue.
November 7, 2023
Set in 1968 Eastern Canada, the book opens with a chilling death of a blind father and her daughter then the birth of Wayne who appears to be neither fully boy nor fully girl, both at once. This piece of information that is key to their identity gets hidden by the parents and the midwife. The father chooses to raise him as boy and the tale grows from this secret.
Gripped not only by the premise but it also captures the natural world vividly. The plot, theme and character dynamics balance out till midway then it sort of lost the thrill but regardless I think it’s one you should check out of the premise speaks to you 👍🏿
Gripped not only by the premise but it also captures the natural world vividly. The plot, theme and character dynamics balance out till midway then it sort of lost the thrill but regardless I think it’s one you should check out of the premise speaks to you 👍🏿
October 23, 2015
Like Wayne himself, Kathleen Winter’s novel is beautiful, but difficult. It’s remarkably well crafted, full of lovely prose and haunting images. From a pure language standpoint, it’s a delightful read, and one that reminds you what an author can do when she takes the time to choose every word carefully.
Annabel is full of beautiful (but harsh) scenery, and beautiful (but equally harsh) characters. That, I’m afraid, is where my dissatisfaction with the book originates. The story is very cold, almost clinical, and the characters are largely without emotion. There are a lot of powerful scenes in the book that elicit feelings of both hope and despair in the reader, but we’re alone in experiencing those feelings. The characters are like disinterested actors, simply walking through a rehearsal of their lines. The equally disinterested narrator tells us what happens to them, but offers no insight into what the characters are feeling. Thematically, I suspect very much that this emotional distance is intentional, but it creates a real issue with reader engagement.
As for the dilemma of Wayne/Annabel, I’m of mixed feelings there. This is absolutely a book about contradictions, and the contradiction of gender is first-and-foremost in every chapter. Annabel is not a book with a hermaphrodite character – it’s a book about a hermaphrodite character. With the exception of some medical interventions that are critical to driving the plot, however, Wayne/Annabel could just as easily have been a more traditional transgendered/transsexual character. The whole issue with the sequined bathing suit, for example, is something I particularly identified with.
However, it feels as if Kathleen Winter is using the biological construct of a hermaphrodite to justify (or even excuse) the fact that she is exploring a theme of gender identity. Undoubtedly, the physical fact of being a hermaphrodite, as opposed to the psychological theories of a transsexual, likely does as much to ease most readers through the story, as it does to ease the author through challenges I would have liked to see explored. As a transgendered reader, though, it feels like a cheat – and that annoyed me.
One thing I must say is that the author knows precisely how/where to end a story. Instead of a nice, tidy, storybook resolution for all involved, we’re left with a series of transitions. Kathleen Winter leaves us with a glimpse of characters who are changing, who are progressing from despair to hope . . . or, at least, the potential for hope. Like life, there are no guarantees of a happily ever after, but as readers we are made to feel comfortable enough to let the characters go, and trust them to take care of themselves.
Ultimately, it’s a book I can definitely say I admire but, sadly, not one that I can say I loved.
Annabel is full of beautiful (but harsh) scenery, and beautiful (but equally harsh) characters. That, I’m afraid, is where my dissatisfaction with the book originates. The story is very cold, almost clinical, and the characters are largely without emotion. There are a lot of powerful scenes in the book that elicit feelings of both hope and despair in the reader, but we’re alone in experiencing those feelings. The characters are like disinterested actors, simply walking through a rehearsal of their lines. The equally disinterested narrator tells us what happens to them, but offers no insight into what the characters are feeling. Thematically, I suspect very much that this emotional distance is intentional, but it creates a real issue with reader engagement.
As for the dilemma of Wayne/Annabel, I’m of mixed feelings there. This is absolutely a book about contradictions, and the contradiction of gender is first-and-foremost in every chapter. Annabel is not a book with a hermaphrodite character – it’s a book about a hermaphrodite character. With the exception of some medical interventions that are critical to driving the plot, however, Wayne/Annabel could just as easily have been a more traditional transgendered/transsexual character. The whole issue with the sequined bathing suit, for example, is something I particularly identified with.
However, it feels as if Kathleen Winter is using the biological construct of a hermaphrodite to justify (or even excuse) the fact that she is exploring a theme of gender identity. Undoubtedly, the physical fact of being a hermaphrodite, as opposed to the psychological theories of a transsexual, likely does as much to ease most readers through the story, as it does to ease the author through challenges I would have liked to see explored. As a transgendered reader, though, it feels like a cheat – and that annoyed me.
One thing I must say is that the author knows precisely how/where to end a story. Instead of a nice, tidy, storybook resolution for all involved, we’re left with a series of transitions. Kathleen Winter leaves us with a glimpse of characters who are changing, who are progressing from despair to hope . . . or, at least, the potential for hope. Like life, there are no guarantees of a happily ever after, but as readers we are made to feel comfortable enough to let the characters go, and trust them to take care of themselves.
Ultimately, it’s a book I can definitely say I admire but, sadly, not one that I can say I loved.
November 30, 2011
Tremendously sad and well written, Annabel is a story about a hermaphrodite raised as the boy Wayne in remote eastern Canada. The characters had such depth, particularly Wayne and his father Treadway. Actually I found many of the characters fascinating--the family friend Thomasina as well as Wayne's friend Wally. But I dearly loved Wayne/Annabel, and had to choke back tears several times reading about his lonely plight.
There were two instances my jaw dropped reading this story. One was an act of unspeakable cruelty by Wayne's father Treadway. I was so angry at Treadway, and it speaks to the author's talent that she made me want to forgive him eventually,understanding Treadway was doing the best he could. The other shocking incident was when a medical condition occurs as a result of Wayne's hermaphroditism.
The Canadian wilderness was a character of its own in this story. Treadway leaves for months at a time to set his traplines. The families live off the earth, and as a result they seem very down to earth. I think I would freeze my ass off living there but not once do they complain about the cold.
Some memorable quotes:
Wayne loved Wally in the way that children can love each other only in that flickering window when they no longer play with toys but are not fully sexual. (p.113)
A child's worry is not like an adult's. It gnawed deep, and was so unnecessary. Why did people not realize children could withstand the truth? Why did adults insist on filling children with the deceptions their own parents had laid on them, when surely they remembered how it had felt to lie in bed and cry over fears no one had bothered to help them face. (p. 199)
The book jacket compared this novel to Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, but I liked Annabel so much better.
There were two instances my jaw dropped reading this story. One was an act of unspeakable cruelty by Wayne's father Treadway. I was so angry at Treadway, and it speaks to the author's talent that she made me want to forgive him eventually,understanding Treadway was doing the best he could. The other shocking incident was when a medical condition occurs as a result of Wayne's hermaphroditism.
The Canadian wilderness was a character of its own in this story. Treadway leaves for months at a time to set his traplines. The families live off the earth, and as a result they seem very down to earth. I think I would freeze my ass off living there but not once do they complain about the cold.
Some memorable quotes:
Wayne loved Wally in the way that children can love each other only in that flickering window when they no longer play with toys but are not fully sexual. (p.113)
A child's worry is not like an adult's. It gnawed deep, and was so unnecessary. Why did people not realize children could withstand the truth? Why did adults insist on filling children with the deceptions their own parents had laid on them, when surely they remembered how it had felt to lie in bed and cry over fears no one had bothered to help them face. (p. 199)
The book jacket compared this novel to Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, but I liked Annabel so much better.
December 6, 2021
>>Kanada, 1960er-Jahre, ein abgelegener kleiner Ort in Labrador. Die Winter sind lang, die Männer gehen jagen, die Frauen hüten das Haus. Als Jacinta ihr erstes Kind zur Welt bringt, ist die Freude groß. Doch dieses Kind ist anders, und so treffen seine Eltern eine folgenschwere Entscheidung.<<
...Und so klischeehaft wie es klingt, führt Kathleen Winter diese Geschichte fort... Schon mal vorweg gesagt, dieser Aspekt, dass hier sämtliche Klischees im Bezug auf Männer- & Frauenrolle bedient werden, empfand ich als sehr sehr störend, insbesondere wenn es dann um die Identitätssuche von Wayne/Annabel geht, wird es mitunter doch auch sehr unglaubwürdig, was ich sehr schade fand.
Thematisch greift dieses Buch ein unglaublich wichtiges Thema auf, über das viel mehr gesprochen werden sollte. Und doch zeigt die Autorin hier Männer und Jungs sind so, machen nur dieses oder jenes und Frauen sind eben so... mir fehlten hier wirklich sehr die Facetten und vor allem die Individualität jedes einzelnen ging für mein Empfinden hier teilweise sehr verloren.
Zudem gibt es innerhalb der Geschichte immer wieder Szenen, die ich einfach nicht glauben, nicht nachvollziehen konnte... Da ich nicht spoilern möchte, gehe ich an dieser Stelle nicht näher darauf ein, bin jedoch sehr enttäuscht, wie sich diese Geschichte entwickelt hat.
Dass es natürlich eine gewisse Problematik mit sich bringt für die Eltern ggf. Umfeld, wenn ein Kind mit beiden Geschlechtern zur Welt kommt, war mir klar, jedoch hätte ich mir viel mehr Gedankentiefe gewünscht, sowohl aus Sicht von den Eltern, als aber eben auch von Wayne/Annabel und das gab es für mich hier leider nicht. Ansätze waren da, die Idee eine solche Geschichte zu erzählen finde ich wichtig und sehr gut, die Umsetzung insgesamt leider nicht.
...Und so klischeehaft wie es klingt, führt Kathleen Winter diese Geschichte fort... Schon mal vorweg gesagt, dieser Aspekt, dass hier sämtliche Klischees im Bezug auf Männer- & Frauenrolle bedient werden, empfand ich als sehr sehr störend, insbesondere wenn es dann um die Identitätssuche von Wayne/Annabel geht, wird es mitunter doch auch sehr unglaubwürdig, was ich sehr schade fand.
Thematisch greift dieses Buch ein unglaublich wichtiges Thema auf, über das viel mehr gesprochen werden sollte. Und doch zeigt die Autorin hier Männer und Jungs sind so, machen nur dieses oder jenes und Frauen sind eben so... mir fehlten hier wirklich sehr die Facetten und vor allem die Individualität jedes einzelnen ging für mein Empfinden hier teilweise sehr verloren.
Zudem gibt es innerhalb der Geschichte immer wieder Szenen, die ich einfach nicht glauben, nicht nachvollziehen konnte... Da ich nicht spoilern möchte, gehe ich an dieser Stelle nicht näher darauf ein, bin jedoch sehr enttäuscht, wie sich diese Geschichte entwickelt hat.
Dass es natürlich eine gewisse Problematik mit sich bringt für die Eltern ggf. Umfeld, wenn ein Kind mit beiden Geschlechtern zur Welt kommt, war mir klar, jedoch hätte ich mir viel mehr Gedankentiefe gewünscht, sowohl aus Sicht von den Eltern, als aber eben auch von Wayne/Annabel und das gab es für mich hier leider nicht. Ansätze waren da, die Idee eine solche Geschichte zu erzählen finde ich wichtig und sehr gut, die Umsetzung insgesamt leider nicht.
May 13, 2015
3.5/5 stars.
Even though this was a beautiful book about a very interesting topic of hermaphrodism, I had some problems with its pacing. I loved the beginning where the setting of rural Canada is described beautifully and I loved the characters - even Wayne's father! Normally, I like slow-paced books but something about it in this book didn't work for me. It gradually became more and more tiresome to read, but that feeling was mingled with some amazing scenes and beautiful descriptions that I had to highlight.
This is a book where the characters change and I liked how everything wrapped up in the end, but the story lost its glory for me because it kind of became too trivial and too slow-paced in some parts. I definitely recommend it, though, because it deals with a topic that I haven't read about a lot, and that alone made the book very interesting to me. And Kathleen Winter's characters are absolutely amazing. Furthermore, this book takes place in Canada which I didn't know when I started reading, but I was pleasantly surprised when finding out :)
This review is rather jumbled and contradicting, but actually that's how I felt about this book. I loved parts of it and other parts I would've liked to be different. Nevertheless, I highly enjoyed it and I think it will stick to my mind for some time to come.
Even though this was a beautiful book about a very interesting topic of hermaphrodism, I had some problems with its pacing. I loved the beginning where the setting of rural Canada is described beautifully and I loved the characters - even Wayne's father! Normally, I like slow-paced books but something about it in this book didn't work for me. It gradually became more and more tiresome to read, but that feeling was mingled with some amazing scenes and beautiful descriptions that I had to highlight.
This is a book where the characters change and I liked how everything wrapped up in the end, but the story lost its glory for me because it kind of became too trivial and too slow-paced in some parts. I definitely recommend it, though, because it deals with a topic that I haven't read about a lot, and that alone made the book very interesting to me. And Kathleen Winter's characters are absolutely amazing. Furthermore, this book takes place in Canada which I didn't know when I started reading, but I was pleasantly surprised when finding out :)
This review is rather jumbled and contradicting, but actually that's how I felt about this book. I loved parts of it and other parts I would've liked to be different. Nevertheless, I highly enjoyed it and I think it will stick to my mind for some time to come.
March 1, 2020
Quietly beautiful and hypnotically written. I am astonished to find that this is a first novel. One scene in particular (which, oddly enough, involved a hawk and an orange) will stay with me a long time.
Interestingly, I found the central conceit almost a distraction. It may be the "hook" for many readers, but the book doesn't need it, and occasionally it rang just slightly false or desperate. Winter's eye for character, her gorgeous depiction of her setting, and her writing style are really what carried this for me.
I look forward to Winter's next novel.
Interestingly, I found the central conceit almost a distraction. It may be the "hook" for many readers, but the book doesn't need it, and occasionally it rang just slightly false or desperate. Winter's eye for character, her gorgeous depiction of her setting, and her writing style are really what carried this for me.
I look forward to Winter's next novel.
December 7, 2014
Certainly some virtuoso writing -- and a fascinating subject -- I read this big fat book in 36 hours because the subject matter is so compelling. But ultimately it left me surprisingly emotionally cold. For all her writerly flourishes, Winter only occasionally takes us really inside Wayne/Annabel - some of the adolescent and high school scenes are searing, but the last piece -- which should be the most gripping -- seems detached. Too much depicting and not enough visceral emotions, I think. And the "happy" ending feels tacked on.
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