The Meeting Point: The Toronto Trilogy

The Toronto Trilogy #1

by Austin Clarke

This is the first book in Austin Clarke's acclaimed trilogy about a group of West Indian domestics, their friends, lovers, spouses and employers living in Toronto. In rich, exuberant language, the novel illuminates the world of Bernice Leach, a Barbadian woman, working in the infamous 'Canadian Domestic Scheme' as a live-in maid. Oddly situated in the employ of the Burrmanns, a wealthy Jewish-Canadian couple, Bernice becomes privy to some household secrets which serve both she and her friend Dots with cause for amusement and outrage. And when Bernice's sister Estelle comes over, apparently on holiday from Barbados, her stay has first comic, then tragic results.The Meeting Point is a poignant study of the clashes, tensions and sheer comedy resulting from the confrontation of opposing lifestyles and cultures. Set in the 1950s, the novel brilliantly captures a portrait of a vital city as a it faces, for the first time, a significant black immigrant presence upon its landscape."Masterful."--The New York Times"A beautiful, comic, innovative, spellbinding and tragic novel. . . . A treat from beginning to end."-- The Boston Globe"Zings with life [and] a humorous appreciation of the injustices of today's world."-- St. Catherine's Standard

Genres: Canada, Read For School, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Austin Ardinel Chesterfield Clarke was a Canadian novelist, essayist and short story writer who lives in Toronto, Ontario. He has been called "Canada's first multicultural writer".

Clarke had his early education in Barbados and taught at a rural school for three years. In 1955 he moved to Canada to attend the University of Toronto but after two years turned his hand to journalism and broadcasting. He was a reporter in the Ontario communities of Timmins and Kirkland Lake, before joining the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a freelance journalist. He subsequently taught at several American universities, including Yale, Duke and the University of Texas.

In 1973 he was designated cultural attaché at the Barbadian embassy in Washington, DC. He was later General Manager of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation in Barbados (1975-1977).

Returning to Canada, in 1977 he ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the Ontario election. He was writer in residence at Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec and at University of Western Ontario.From 1988 to 1993 he served on the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

Reviews

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Austin Clarke features a few domestics and their friends and partners, as they deal with racism of their employers and the people they encounter in Toronto during the 1950s and 1960s. Bernice is the main character, and she works for the Burrmans, a wealthy Jewish family. Bernice feels alternately angry and friendly with Mrs. Burrman, depending on her interactions with her employer. Bernice shares her feelings with her friend Dot. We're also get to hear Dot's husband Boysie talk with his friend Henry.
While actually not that much happens in this book (Bernice's younger sister Estelle comes to visit), the bulk of this book is comprised of the conversations, and monologues of Bernice, Dot and the others. The monologues touch on a number of the frustrations experienced by the characters, and their take on a few of the events happening in the US. Austin Clarke keeps things centred on the persistent small aggressions and humiliations his characters are subjected to, as well as the loneliness of being far from family and home. I found some of the monologues, while hitting interesting and important points, were too frequently really, really long. Another thing was the action abruptly halted at the end. The story clearly wasn't over (there are two other books in this series), and the lack of a graceful exit in this book was jarring.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book (book #1 in trilogy) by Afro Canadian author about racism experienced by West Indians living in Toronto during late 50s and early 60s.

[Niki Rowland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too long for a repetitive plot and endless, unimportant banter

[Tom Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of a trilogy of books by Austin Clark. This one is focused on the inner experiences of people affected by the a first wave of immigration from teh West Indies to Canada and specifically Toronto in the early 1960s. The novel eschews any focus on broad historical events but describes the life of West Indian domestics and the people that surround them. With teh focus on the inner experience, it describes how these people perceive each and more importantly mis-perceive each other. This is a time of societal change and the people of that time have to adapt to the changes that are going on around them. This change is coupled with existing prejudices such as antisemitism and anti-black racism. The people of that time have internal difficulties adjusting to these changes. They ahve difficulty understanding the true internal beliefs and attitudes that each have with the others. This gives rise to an unstable social situation in which relations can vary quickly between acceptance and hate in quick succession as events unfold.

I think that this is the point of the novel. That it is difficult for a society with existing prejudices to adapt to social change. part of that difficulty is the need for trust to overcome mutual suspicion. This suspicion created by the difficulty in properly perceiving the other's internal attitudes can create a self-fulfilling situation.

[Yvonne Blackwood]

Immigrants leave their tropical homes, expecting a better life in North America, but results can be devastating. An interesting and informative story about the lives some immigrants live in the large city of Toronto in the 1960s, how they are abused by their employers and husbands of employers.

[Kate Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually loved this piece from my syllabus. It was eye opening if you can situate yourself into the different characters perspectives. Highly recommend if you’re interested in cultivating a relationship with multiculturalism in Ontario.

[Skyler Mlotek-Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, and slow at first but it definitely picks up and gets a lot better and more twisted.

[megs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a *3.5?

[Carol Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story moved slowly and built anticipation for a climax that never really happened. The characters and the racial unease the immigrants experienced were well painted.

[Alan Haffner · Rating 3 out of 5]

FWRC.
Set in Toronto, a story of clashes and differences between a rich Jewish family and the hired help.