The Rules of Engagement

by Catherine Bush

A gripping novel of love and war, risk and responsibility

Arcadia Hearne is a war researcher, specializing in military intervention. But her immersion in contemporary war is offset by her refusal to put herself at risk, and by her insistence on keeping her past at bay.

Ten years earlier, in the mid-1980s, Arcadia had fled Toronto for London after two university students--rivals for her love--fought a pistol duel over her. Now, through the interventions of her sister, Lux, and her increasingly complicated relationship with a new lover, Amir, who has secrets of his own, Arcadia is forced to confront what really happened on the day of the duel.

Moving from the verdant ravines of Toronto to the secret canals of a gritty, vibrant London, The Rules of Engagement has an extraordinary sense of time and place. A powerful exploration of the nature of love, the novel provocatively explores the crossing of emotional, ethical, and literal borders.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Romance, Novels

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 2000

About the author

Catherine Bush loves islands and northern landscapes. She is the author of five novels, including Blaze Island, the Canada Reads long-listed Accusation (2013), the Trillium Award short-listed Claire’s Head (2004), and the national bestselling The Rules of Engagement (2000), also a New York Times Notable Book and a Globe & Mail Best Book of the Year. She lives in Toronto and an old schoolhouse in Eastern Ontario and has spoken internationally about addressing the climate crisis in fiction. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph and Coordinator of the Guelph Creative Writing MFA, based in Toronto. Her nonfiction has appeared in publications including the Globe and Mail, The New York Times Magazine, the literary magazine Brick, Canadian Notes and Queries and the anthology, The Heart Does Break (2009).

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

This was so promising!!! I devoured the first quarter and now I'm just about halfway through and I'm so bored. Another DNF.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

In its simplest form, Arcadia Hearne has run away from home and past events and relationships and settled in London where she works for the Center for the Contemporary War Studies, studying war and intervention. Catherine Bush spins this story in such a manner that it's very difficult to put the book down. She interweaves present events with Arcadia's past in Toronto, slowly winding these two stories together to provide a clear picture of Arcadia and the reasons for her running off to London. While Arcadia studies war, she does so only theoretically, never actually visiting the places where these wars are taking place. She has relationships, most recently with an Iranian immigrant who also has a secret life trying to help refugees. Arcadia, while she likes the relationship, avoids the messier side of life. Discovering more about Amir, she runs away again, back to Toronto, where she tries to confront her past events and also deal with her parents. Catherine Bush is a wonderful writer, her prose is intelligent and thoughtful and her story telling skills superb. I enjoyed reading this book so very much and loved how Bush tried to resolve the various story lines, but also leaving enough unsaid that you can come to your own conclusions. Excellent!

[Jasmine Steffler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel might be difficult to relate to for most, at least for those of us who haven’t had two people literally fight over us. But, if you can get past the normalized treatment of the main event that the novel hinges on, you’ll find that Catherine Bush offers a fresh take on redemption and conflict. The main character is an academic who studies war, as if irreversibly attracted to uncovering the reasons behind the savagery in her own life.

The story is easy to follow and the author illuminates the main character's life by bringing us forward and back in time. With an intense focus on the inner lives of the characters, this novel would be classified as Psychological Fiction.

I would recommend this book for those who are more interested in obtaining a window into characters’ actions rather than for those interested in situational description or gripping dialogue.

[Jean Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book overall and I appreciated what the author was trying to achieve and how she went about it, but I think she was only partially successful. She writes extremely well, with considerable wit and an edgy style. Although the subject matter may be heavy, the book is very readable and entertaining. It is an intelligent book that examines difficult and important questions about the nature of war and human conflict, as well as introducing a number of human dilemmas. I thought that most of the characters lacked depth, and the principal character, Arcadia Hearne, was interesting but I never got a sense of who she was or where she stood. One scene that I found particularly weak and unrealistic was her telephone conversation with her deceased boyfriend's brother. Why he didn't hang up on her struck me as incredible. Aside from the occasional lapse in credibility and a few cringe-worthy moments, I would recommend this book.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rules of engagement can apply to armed conflict or to affairs of the heart. Both these apply in this novel. Arcadia Hearne is a researcher and writer on war and lives in London, while her family still live in Toronto where she was born. Arcadia has had lovers, and even been married for a short while. Her life seems uneventful, until her sister, Lux, arrives and persuades her to deliver a package of money to a refugee from Somalia. While doing so, Arcadia meets Amir and begins a relationship with him. Arcadia wants to get to know Basra, to whom she delivered the money, and follows her to Toronto. As she does so, scenes from her past life return to her and she tries to locate the two men who once fought a duel over her in a Toronto ravine. This is a complicated story but I found it compelling and an enjoyable read which gives one a lot to think about.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

philosophy, duels, & longing - what more could you want

[Anna Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

too many men not enough war

[Cassidy]

I feel like this all could have been avoided if Arcadia had at least one friend to tell her that Evan was an absolute psychopath.

[Paul Lima · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a strong female lead and is exceptionally well written. I had a few problems with how it develops, but overall it's a solid read. The main character, Arcadia Hearne, is a war researcher, specializing in military intervention. But her immersion in contemporary war is offset by her refusal to put herself at risk, and by her insistence on keeping her past at bay. However, she plunges into the past, and this is where I had some issues. We seem to leave a perfectly interesting present behind and I don't fully understand her plunge into the past, other than she deals with an issue she had fled when she moved from Toronto, Canada to London, England after two university students--rivals for her love--fought a pistol duel over her. Arcadia is forced to confront what really happened on the day of the duel, but it falls kind of flat for me and feels less interesting than her present reality. But again, there is a lot to like about the book, especially the overall writing and strength of the main character.

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complex, well-paced and thoughtful book about conflict: on a personal/romantic level as well as tribal and national levels. It touches on global hot spots, but applies the same analysis and reason to "agents of intervention" and "humanitarian aid" for personal relationships. In either case, we're forced to make choices about getting involved, which carries risk, or observing, which has its own price. Bush's writing is spot-on. the novel moves from now to then clearly, and the characters are nuanced. I finished this during a four-hour root canal. Thanks to Bush and a hefty dose of novocaine, it was a snap.

[Bonnie]

I thought I had read this, but I picked it up the other day. (Along with Claire's Head)

[Jen]

http://kirbc.com/2008/09/13/the-rules...

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic, well-written. Listened to while running-good audio book.

[Tim Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it an interesting read but it did not grab me. Some interesting thoughts on war / conflict and what motivates people to act.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found the story souless so didn't do a lot for me.

[Candice Pitman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing main character. Failed righteousness. She annoyed me pretty much the whole time.

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing novel - a very subtle psychological thriller.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a long read... I found it rather boring at times and not very exciting, however I enjoyed the story

[Belinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of the book seemed weak to me. I felt the reason for fleeing her family did not justify the length and breadth of distance.