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Sussex Drive
A startingly funny and deeply satisfying satirical novel that makes the Canadian political scene accessible from the female perspective, behind the scenes at the top of the hill.
Torn from the headlines, Sussex Drive is a rollicking, cheeky, alternate history of big-ticket political items in Canada told from the perspectives of Becky Leggatt (the sublimely capable and manipulative wife of a hard-right Conservative prime minister) and just a wink away at Rideau Hall, Lise Lavoie (the wildly exotic and unlikely immigrant Governor General)—two wives and mothers living their private lives in public.
Set in recent history, when the biggest House on their turf is shuttered not once, not twice, but three times, Becky and Lise engage in a fight to the death in a battle that involves Canada’s relationship to the United States, Afghanistan and Africa. The rest of the time, the women are driving their kids.
From Linda Svendsen’s sharp and wicked imagination comes a distaff Ottawa like no other ever created by a Canadian writer, of women manoeuvring in a political world gone more than a little mad, hosting world leaders, dealing with the challenges of minority government, and worrying about teen pregnancies and their own marriages. As they juggle these competing interests, Becky and Lise are forced to question what they thought were their politics, and make difficult choices about their families and their futures—federal and otherwise.
Torn from the headlines, Sussex Drive is a rollicking, cheeky, alternate history of big-ticket political items in Canada told from the perspectives of Becky Leggatt (the sublimely capable and manipulative wife of a hard-right Conservative prime minister) and just a wink away at Rideau Hall, Lise Lavoie (the wildly exotic and unlikely immigrant Governor General)—two wives and mothers living their private lives in public.
Set in recent history, when the biggest House on their turf is shuttered not once, not twice, but three times, Becky and Lise engage in a fight to the death in a battle that involves Canada’s relationship to the United States, Afghanistan and Africa. The rest of the time, the women are driving their kids.
From Linda Svendsen’s sharp and wicked imagination comes a distaff Ottawa like no other ever created by a Canadian writer, of women manoeuvring in a political world gone more than a little mad, hosting world leaders, dealing with the challenges of minority government, and worrying about teen pregnancies and their own marriages. As they juggle these competing interests, Becky and Lise are forced to question what they thought were their politics, and make difficult choices about their families and their futures—federal and otherwise.
368 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2012
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October 13, 2012
Canadian political satire lives! yay! It is an endangered species in Canadian literature. Linda Svendsen provides welcome company to Terry Fallis(The Best Laid Plans: A Novel and The High Road), but this is more biting, and strongly rooted in real events.
The book is set during the presidential reign of Canada's non-president prime minister who nonetheless aspires to a different kind of regime. Stephen and Laureen Harper have become Greg and Becky Leggatt, and our former young black governor general, Michaelle Jean, immigrant from Haiti, has been transformed into young black Lise Lavoie, immigrant from St Bernand. And the Queen has abdicated to allow her son to become King Charles. The personalities though, are deliciously the same as our real-life politicos. The angry cold-eyed ruthless PM in the book keeps yielding to my image of Harper. And what a mean bastard he is in this book (no spoiler alert there, that's a given!). It is only the PM's wife in the book that seems to be fictional -her cunning and wicked political nous surpass even that of her fish-eyed hubby's.
Real Canadian and world-wide political events provide the framework and most of the plot lines in the book, from the transformation from a minority to majority government in Canada, and the cynical reliance upon prorogation of parliament by the PM and his cronies. The story though, is told from the sides of the women, the wife and the GG.
Svendsen has taken these real events and stuffed the empty spaces, the spaces where we don't know what the reality is, with her wildly inventive but scarily almost plausible plot twists. These narrative twists might be entirely imagined but sadly, the Machiavellian stylings are too real.
Despite re-opening our scabby political wounds, this book is a fun read. Her writing is tight, sharp, focused, and hilarious. We need more of this kind of book.
The book is set during the presidential reign of Canada's non-president prime minister who nonetheless aspires to a different kind of regime. Stephen and Laureen Harper have become Greg and Becky Leggatt, and our former young black governor general, Michaelle Jean, immigrant from Haiti, has been transformed into young black Lise Lavoie, immigrant from St Bernand. And the Queen has abdicated to allow her son to become King Charles. The personalities though, are deliciously the same as our real-life politicos. The angry cold-eyed ruthless PM in the book keeps yielding to my image of Harper. And what a mean bastard he is in this book (no spoiler alert there, that's a given!). It is only the PM's wife in the book that seems to be fictional -her cunning and wicked political nous surpass even that of her fish-eyed hubby's.
Real Canadian and world-wide political events provide the framework and most of the plot lines in the book, from the transformation from a minority to majority government in Canada, and the cynical reliance upon prorogation of parliament by the PM and his cronies. The story though, is told from the sides of the women, the wife and the GG.
Svendsen has taken these real events and stuffed the empty spaces, the spaces where we don't know what the reality is, with her wildly inventive but scarily almost plausible plot twists. These narrative twists might be entirely imagined but sadly, the Machiavellian stylings are too real.
Despite re-opening our scabby political wounds, this book is a fun read. Her writing is tight, sharp, focused, and hilarious. We need more of this kind of book.
November 5, 2012
Sussex Drive takes place between August 2008 and May 2009, and is a direct, embellished satirisation of the minority government at that time, led by prime minister Stephen Harper (who's still in office). In Svendsen's novel, the prime minister is Greg Leggatt, a religious conservative with a heavily censored anger management problem. His wife, Becky, is the quintessential political wife, a woman who manages her husband with a deft, clever hand, and who is something like a secret agent behind the scenes, with her fingers in many pots. There's nothing this woman doesn't know, it seems. One of her main tasks is to manipulate the Governor General, Lise Lavoie, a black immigrant from a tiny, fictional African country called St Bertrand (modelled on Tanzania).
Lavoie, standing in for the real-life GG at the time, Michaëlle Jean (herself originally a refugee from Haiti and resident of Quebec), took on the non-partisan position partly at the urging of her husband, a Quebecois actor called René; now she, René and her half-Cree son Niko live at 1 Sussex Drive, basically next door to the prime minister's residence at 24 Sussex Drive.
The two women, Becky and Lise, take on their causes and come head-to-head on a number of issues, not all of them political. Their battle involves a young, one-legged RCMP officer, a female Afghani corporal gone MIA, a daughter's naive mistake, a dead guinea pig, and some serious blackmail. Juggling public office, husbands, and kids all in the camera's eye is an unenviable task, and there can only be one winner, or two losers.
I've left it a couple of weeks to write this review, which in the case of this book is bad because my thoughts are no longer fresh, and I have to take a moment to get into the head space of the novel. That's one of the reasons why I write my own summaries of the plot: to find that head space again, though I find them hard to write and are one of the reasons why I'm so slow at getting reviews up.
I have very mixed thoughts about this novel. On the one hand, it's very clever, highly ironic, and shows a depth of research that's plain scary. On the other hand, it sometimes seemed to speak another language (and sometimes did, literally); the main characters but especially Lise were frustratingly handicapped by the system, so much so that they - she - came across as completely useless; and the ending was a bit of a letdown. Let me recap all that a bit more slowly.
The first two chapters made me a bit worried: they're overwhelmingly high-octane information dumpers, making the actual scenes contained in them, which were very very simple ones, incredibly slow to the point where I completely forgot what was going on. I worried that the entire novel was going to be like that, but thankfully it wasn't. Still, it was an alienating introduction to the story. Once you get past those first couple of chapters, though, it really opens up and lets you in.
The novel also requires you to have a general working knowledge of the Canadian political system and current affairs - or rather, I have a general working knowledge (as in, I pay attention and think about what's happening, politically), but I could have used, say, a degree in it. I'm well aware that a lot of it was over my head, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I'm sure I missed a lot of the in-jokes, but whenever I did get one it was always a satisfying feeling - and a jolly good laugh, too.
Svendsen presents a government rife with closed-door dealings, blackmail, ball-bustings, and a certain level of outright creepiness. Thing is, it may be fictional and an exaggeration, but it was also believable. I suppose that speaks to my personal level of cynical distrust in Harper's government - hell, one of the first things he did when he won office was to basically censor the press at Parliament Hill. I don't trust Harper much at all, he strikes me as smarmy and patronising to say the least, and the interesting thing, in regards to Becky, Greg Leggatt's wife and one of the two main characters of this book, is how much of a nonentity Harper's wife is. Hell, I don't even know what her name is! Unlike Becky, she stays strictly in the home, as far as I'm aware. She comes across as bland and dull, but I'm sure that's mostly the image, the role her husband wants her to take. This novel isn't very sympathetic to Conservatives, in fact, it takes dig after dig out of them, all of which was highly entertaining, if uncomfortably close to the reality:
Truth is, Becky is more politically savvy than her husband, who turns out to be a liar as well. But Becky is in the dangerous position that I think must happen to all governmental leaders and their spouses: putting the job, and public image, ahead of their family. When Becky and Greg's daughter Martha becomes pregnant, she helps the deeply religious girl have an abortion, and keep it a secret from her father (Greg writes the SCARIEST Christian rock songs you've ever head - not just in terms of the lyrics, but also in how incredibly corny they are). Their two sons, Peter and Pablo, adopted from Columbia, seem largely overlooked, and as they start to grow into their hormones, they get along less and less. Becky would call them sacrifices, the things she conceals or deals with in order to protect Greg and the "great things" he's doing for the country, but any reader will recognise them for what they really are.
Lise, on the other hand, is presented as a more sympathetic character, the woman with ideals and an ethical code who tries not to let the prime minister - or his wife, or the secretary-slash-spy they foisted onto her - take advantage of her, but any time she really pushes back, they come up with something to blackmail her with, always something they've set up themselves. It's sickening and rather depressing, and you want to hope that it really is an exaggeration. (But aren't all exaggerations, like cliches, born of truisms, reality?)
Sadly, I have to agree with Lise on that one - and I often think my native country of Australia is just as bad, if not worse. Inherent at the heart of black comedy is black truths, dark reality. The funniest jokes are the ones based on things we find familiar, everyday realities. As a satire, Sussex Drive is excellent, and deftly captures that hard-to-label Canadian sense of humour.
However, it wasn't completely enjoyable for me. When not involved in politics, it became a bit sluggish and surprisingly cheesy. Becky and Lise were each strong women in their way, but I could never really get close to them, to understand them. They presented an image to the reader as much as to everyone else, and hearing their thoughts didn't dissolve that. Becky remained a "type" of woman, one I'm not personally familiar with but only know of through other movies etc. I never really understood her, got inside her head. It was like there were too many distractions, so you could never really catch her eye. Towards the end, things got surprisingly melodramatic, and the novel lost me. The ending especially - well, I can't say I even understood what happened, exactly, but the obvious parts were a bit, hm, contrived? It just didn't seem to match the rest of the novel.
The other element of the story that was surprisingly theatrical was the Afghanistan sub-plot, which took Canada's government into the seedy role of corruption. Corporal Shymanski's side of the story was tragic, and then lapsed into a subplot worthy of CIA conspiracy theories. And none of it was resolved. I'm sure that was deliberate, and I get why, but at the end of the book I had to wonder, what was the point of that subplot? There didn't really seem to be one, except to add some action and to really make the government look dirty.
All of which left me feeling a bit too ambivalent about this novel. I loved the middle, the large chunk of the middle, it's just the beginning that left me feeling stupid and the ending that jarred and brought the high standards of the story down. And I'm not at all bilingual, and while the included French is I'm sure highly authentic to the characters, it still bothered me that I didn't understand what they were saying, and so missed yet another layer of nuance.
The other element that always jarred was how the real-life characters - the leaders of the other political parties, for instance - were never mentioned by name, just given some descriptor. Every time, it simply served to remind me that the named characters were all fakes. It would have been better, smoother, I think, to have simply come up with fictional names for everyone, while still leaving them recognisable as with Greg and Lise.
And why was it okay to mention Strombo by name, but not Rick Mercer??
This is a novel about details as much as it is about the bigger picture, about being a woman in the political sphere as much as it is about being a mother, and it hits hard at Canadian politics and current events (2008/2009 wasn't that long ago, and some things just don't change). No one's spared from Svendsen's keen eye and wit, and she skilfully highlights the flaws in the people in charge of our country - and the dangers of power: having it and wanting more of it. There were too many things happening behind-the-scenes, truncated and in whispers, for the narrative to stay strong and steady throughout, but in isolated sketches of scenes and characters, Svendsen really shows her strength as a writer. Savvy, wise and funny, at turns sad and scary, it may not be a perfect novel but it's still a highly entertaining and thought-provoking one.
You can read an interview with author Linda Svendsen on The Indiscriminate Critic.
Lavoie, standing in for the real-life GG at the time, Michaëlle Jean (herself originally a refugee from Haiti and resident of Quebec), took on the non-partisan position partly at the urging of her husband, a Quebecois actor called René; now she, René and her half-Cree son Niko live at 1 Sussex Drive, basically next door to the prime minister's residence at 24 Sussex Drive.
The two women, Becky and Lise, take on their causes and come head-to-head on a number of issues, not all of them political. Their battle involves a young, one-legged RCMP officer, a female Afghani corporal gone MIA, a daughter's naive mistake, a dead guinea pig, and some serious blackmail. Juggling public office, husbands, and kids all in the camera's eye is an unenviable task, and there can only be one winner, or two losers.
I've left it a couple of weeks to write this review, which in the case of this book is bad because my thoughts are no longer fresh, and I have to take a moment to get into the head space of the novel. That's one of the reasons why I write my own summaries of the plot: to find that head space again, though I find them hard to write and are one of the reasons why I'm so slow at getting reviews up.
I have very mixed thoughts about this novel. On the one hand, it's very clever, highly ironic, and shows a depth of research that's plain scary. On the other hand, it sometimes seemed to speak another language (and sometimes did, literally); the main characters but especially Lise were frustratingly handicapped by the system, so much so that they - she - came across as completely useless; and the ending was a bit of a letdown. Let me recap all that a bit more slowly.
The first two chapters made me a bit worried: they're overwhelmingly high-octane information dumpers, making the actual scenes contained in them, which were very very simple ones, incredibly slow to the point where I completely forgot what was going on. I worried that the entire novel was going to be like that, but thankfully it wasn't. Still, it was an alienating introduction to the story. Once you get past those first couple of chapters, though, it really opens up and lets you in.
The novel also requires you to have a general working knowledge of the Canadian political system and current affairs - or rather, I have a general working knowledge (as in, I pay attention and think about what's happening, politically), but I could have used, say, a degree in it. I'm well aware that a lot of it was over my head, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I'm sure I missed a lot of the in-jokes, but whenever I did get one it was always a satisfying feeling - and a jolly good laugh, too.
Svendsen presents a government rife with closed-door dealings, blackmail, ball-bustings, and a certain level of outright creepiness. Thing is, it may be fictional and an exaggeration, but it was also believable. I suppose that speaks to my personal level of cynical distrust in Harper's government - hell, one of the first things he did when he won office was to basically censor the press at Parliament Hill. I don't trust Harper much at all, he strikes me as smarmy and patronising to say the least, and the interesting thing, in regards to Becky, Greg Leggatt's wife and one of the two main characters of this book, is how much of a nonentity Harper's wife is. Hell, I don't even know what her name is! Unlike Becky, she stays strictly in the home, as far as I'm aware. She comes across as bland and dull, but I'm sure that's mostly the image, the role her husband wants her to take. This novel isn't very sympathetic to Conservatives, in fact, it takes dig after dig out of them, all of which was highly entertaining, if uncomfortably close to the reality:
"In a few minutes, we're going into an update and--"
"I already know this."
"You know the details?"
"No."
"We're stripping federal public servants of the right to strike. We're abolishing pay equity for women." He paused.
Becky didn't comment. Yes, women should be in the home, raising their own children. While we're at it, send the Filipinas back home to raise their own. And, yes, all those secret socialist feminists should tie on their Hush Puppies and heave-ho off Parliament Hill. Of course, the urbanistas would kvetch."
"And [Greg]'s decided to cancel per-voter public financing of the political parties."
That got her attention. "Not good," Becky said. "Not now."
"That's what we're telling him. And Finance is telling him. It's the time to appear conciliatory. He and Chief, they won't listen." [p.163]
Truth is, Becky is more politically savvy than her husband, who turns out to be a liar as well. But Becky is in the dangerous position that I think must happen to all governmental leaders and their spouses: putting the job, and public image, ahead of their family. When Becky and Greg's daughter Martha becomes pregnant, she helps the deeply religious girl have an abortion, and keep it a secret from her father (Greg writes the SCARIEST Christian rock songs you've ever head - not just in terms of the lyrics, but also in how incredibly corny they are). Their two sons, Peter and Pablo, adopted from Columbia, seem largely overlooked, and as they start to grow into their hormones, they get along less and less. Becky would call them sacrifices, the things she conceals or deals with in order to protect Greg and the "great things" he's doing for the country, but any reader will recognise them for what they really are.
Lise, on the other hand, is presented as a more sympathetic character, the woman with ideals and an ethical code who tries not to let the prime minister - or his wife, or the secretary-slash-spy they foisted onto her - take advantage of her, but any time she really pushes back, they come up with something to blackmail her with, always something they've set up themselves. It's sickening and rather depressing, and you want to hope that it really is an exaggeration. (But aren't all exaggerations, like cliches, born of truisms, reality?)
Lise took a breath, then exhaled. She'd assumed this role, carried this enormous Dominion on her slim shoulders, to help her country, to help the world. She was already on the edge of losing her husband, and her son might be having a breakdown. It was clear now that she could do nothing at all to help Canada. Its democracy had early-onset Alzheimer's. Its democracy was in a media-induced ethical coma; it had permanent parliamentary amnesia - her mind was raving. [p.264]
Sadly, I have to agree with Lise on that one - and I often think my native country of Australia is just as bad, if not worse. Inherent at the heart of black comedy is black truths, dark reality. The funniest jokes are the ones based on things we find familiar, everyday realities. As a satire, Sussex Drive is excellent, and deftly captures that hard-to-label Canadian sense of humour.
However, it wasn't completely enjoyable for me. When not involved in politics, it became a bit sluggish and surprisingly cheesy. Becky and Lise were each strong women in their way, but I could never really get close to them, to understand them. They presented an image to the reader as much as to everyone else, and hearing their thoughts didn't dissolve that. Becky remained a "type" of woman, one I'm not personally familiar with but only know of through other movies etc. I never really understood her, got inside her head. It was like there were too many distractions, so you could never really catch her eye. Towards the end, things got surprisingly melodramatic, and the novel lost me. The ending especially - well, I can't say I even understood what happened, exactly, but the obvious parts were a bit, hm, contrived? It just didn't seem to match the rest of the novel.
The other element of the story that was surprisingly theatrical was the Afghanistan sub-plot, which took Canada's government into the seedy role of corruption. Corporal Shymanski's side of the story was tragic, and then lapsed into a subplot worthy of CIA conspiracy theories. And none of it was resolved. I'm sure that was deliberate, and I get why, but at the end of the book I had to wonder, what was the point of that subplot? There didn't really seem to be one, except to add some action and to really make the government look dirty.
All of which left me feeling a bit too ambivalent about this novel. I loved the middle, the large chunk of the middle, it's just the beginning that left me feeling stupid and the ending that jarred and brought the high standards of the story down. And I'm not at all bilingual, and while the included French is I'm sure highly authentic to the characters, it still bothered me that I didn't understand what they were saying, and so missed yet another layer of nuance.
The other element that always jarred was how the real-life characters - the leaders of the other political parties, for instance - were never mentioned by name, just given some descriptor. Every time, it simply served to remind me that the named characters were all fakes. It would have been better, smoother, I think, to have simply come up with fictional names for everyone, while still leaving them recognisable as with Greg and Lise.
And why was it okay to mention Strombo by name, but not Rick Mercer??
This is a novel about details as much as it is about the bigger picture, about being a woman in the political sphere as much as it is about being a mother, and it hits hard at Canadian politics and current events (2008/2009 wasn't that long ago, and some things just don't change). No one's spared from Svendsen's keen eye and wit, and she skilfully highlights the flaws in the people in charge of our country - and the dangers of power: having it and wanting more of it. There were too many things happening behind-the-scenes, truncated and in whispers, for the narrative to stay strong and steady throughout, but in isolated sketches of scenes and characters, Svendsen really shows her strength as a writer. Savvy, wise and funny, at turns sad and scary, it may not be a perfect novel but it's still a highly entertaining and thought-provoking one.
You can read an interview with author Linda Svendsen on The Indiscriminate Critic.
September 22, 2012
Quick thoughts: A truly Canadian satire that tackles serious political issues with aplomb using equal amounts of humour and intrigue.
This little gem of a book is quite deceptive in its approach and impact. The back cover of my copy describes "a startlingly funny...novel that throws a very female light on our nation's capital," and promises to take us "inside the backrooms and the bedrooms of the nation." With this light-hearted impression in the front of my mind, I plunged in expecting a coy and catty take of political life from a family angle.
This was exactly what I got for the first half of the book, where marital issues and the effect of public life on children take centre stage. The (fictional) Prime Minister, Greg Leggatt, is first introduced via the "inside voice" of his wife, Becky, as she silently approves of the alterations she had requested to his current outfit, and applauds herself on the results of requesting calorie reductions from the chef. We meet the (also fictional) Governor General, Lise Lavoie, in a similarly non-political light as well, watching through her eyes as a fragile bond is promising to form between her new Québecois actor husband and her adolescent African-Cree son.
In keeping with the emphasis on the female perspective, wardrobe remains a paramount concern throughout. We are continually told, in detail, what people are wearing -- whether that be a suit from Talbots, Cole Haan pumps or an Armani wannabe that looks like it was zigzag stitched in China. I must admit that I got some of my biggest laughs from the genuinely Canadian colour scheme. It was never just a "grey" dress. No, it had to be a Sudbury nickel dress, or a tar-sands carbon jacket.
Where the knife begins to twist, though, is when we realize that all the playful banter and catty remarks are prologue to a much more serious story. The prorogation of Parliament in December of 2008, the real life analogue to many of the events of this book, was probably the most shameful abuse of Canadian parliamentary procedure in living memory. In many ways, it was hurtful and emotionally draining to relive that stain on our national history. What I appreciated about this invented re-imagining was the exaggerated and sensational happenings behind the scenes. On the one hand, you instinctively know that many of the ancillary events couldn't possibly have happened; on the other hand, it makes you wonder what really does go on behind the carefully groomed veneer of respectability.
Yet despite the depressing seriousness of the overarching themes, I laughed out loud more times than I care to admit. To bring a reader from fits of laughter to the pits of despair and back in a repeated cycle takes a special talent, and I must concede that it was on full display here.
I was also thoroughly impressed with the quality of writing showcased in this novel. There were so many times where I literally stopped reading to appreciate the way something was phrased -- how it rolled off the tongue, or sat so poetically in my mind's eye. The mess of contradictions that makes us human is also examined with the skill of a surgeon. Issues of immense controversy are handled with delicacy and surprising poignancy.
If I were forced to think of negatives, there would really only be two. I found it disruptive that all Canadian political players were fictional, but every other politician was a real person. There was a faux-realism achieved by using fictional names, and it came smashing down for me every time a real-world name was mentioned. The second brushes into spoiler territory (so please skip this sentence if you are overly sensitive of such things), but suffice it to say that I'm still ambivalent about the style of the ending.
I couldn't stop talking about this book with anybody that happened to be in earshot whilst reading it, and I'm sure there will be plenty more subjected to my evangelistic zeal in the next few weeks. If you were at all considering this book, do yourself a favour and take the leap.
NOTE: This review is based on an ARC copy I received from the publisher as a promotional First Reads giveaway. Some of the descriptions above may not accurately reflect the final published edition.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out my blog interview with the author: http://wp.me/p2Ih3i-3p
This little gem of a book is quite deceptive in its approach and impact. The back cover of my copy describes "a startlingly funny...novel that throws a very female light on our nation's capital," and promises to take us "inside the backrooms and the bedrooms of the nation." With this light-hearted impression in the front of my mind, I plunged in expecting a coy and catty take of political life from a family angle.
This was exactly what I got for the first half of the book, where marital issues and the effect of public life on children take centre stage. The (fictional) Prime Minister, Greg Leggatt, is first introduced via the "inside voice" of his wife, Becky, as she silently approves of the alterations she had requested to his current outfit, and applauds herself on the results of requesting calorie reductions from the chef. We meet the (also fictional) Governor General, Lise Lavoie, in a similarly non-political light as well, watching through her eyes as a fragile bond is promising to form between her new Québecois actor husband and her adolescent African-Cree son.
In keeping with the emphasis on the female perspective, wardrobe remains a paramount concern throughout. We are continually told, in detail, what people are wearing -- whether that be a suit from Talbots, Cole Haan pumps or an Armani wannabe that looks like it was zigzag stitched in China. I must admit that I got some of my biggest laughs from the genuinely Canadian colour scheme. It was never just a "grey" dress. No, it had to be a Sudbury nickel dress, or a tar-sands carbon jacket.
Where the knife begins to twist, though, is when we realize that all the playful banter and catty remarks are prologue to a much more serious story. The prorogation of Parliament in December of 2008, the real life analogue to many of the events of this book, was probably the most shameful abuse of Canadian parliamentary procedure in living memory. In many ways, it was hurtful and emotionally draining to relive that stain on our national history. What I appreciated about this invented re-imagining was the exaggerated and sensational happenings behind the scenes. On the one hand, you instinctively know that many of the ancillary events couldn't possibly have happened; on the other hand, it makes you wonder what really does go on behind the carefully groomed veneer of respectability.
Yet despite the depressing seriousness of the overarching themes, I laughed out loud more times than I care to admit. To bring a reader from fits of laughter to the pits of despair and back in a repeated cycle takes a special talent, and I must concede that it was on full display here.
I was also thoroughly impressed with the quality of writing showcased in this novel. There were so many times where I literally stopped reading to appreciate the way something was phrased -- how it rolled off the tongue, or sat so poetically in my mind's eye. The mess of contradictions that makes us human is also examined with the skill of a surgeon. Issues of immense controversy are handled with delicacy and surprising poignancy.
If I were forced to think of negatives, there would really only be two. I found it disruptive that all Canadian political players were fictional, but every other politician was a real person. There was a faux-realism achieved by using fictional names, and it came smashing down for me every time a real-world name was mentioned. The second brushes into spoiler territory (so please skip this sentence if you are overly sensitive of such things), but suffice it to say that I'm still ambivalent about the style of the ending.
I couldn't stop talking about this book with anybody that happened to be in earshot whilst reading it, and I'm sure there will be plenty more subjected to my evangelistic zeal in the next few weeks. If you were at all considering this book, do yourself a favour and take the leap.
NOTE: This review is based on an ARC copy I received from the publisher as a promotional First Reads giveaway. Some of the descriptions above may not accurately reflect the final published edition.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out my blog interview with the author: http://wp.me/p2Ih3i-3p
July 3, 2023
Mixed reaction to this one. The problem seems to be the "roman a clef" aspects to this satire. While some events are straight out of the headlines at the time (Conservative minority gov't wants to shut down Parliament to avoid non-confidence vote), other events in this novel exist in what was then an alternate reality (King Charles is on the throne — aka the "Green King").
Consequently, I found myself trying to fit actual events into the narrative of the novel, instead of just receiving the novel as it was presented. Perhaps it would be best to know absolutely nothing about Canadian politics to enjoy this as a novel, but then would one get the satire?
A strange, daring beast of a novel.
Consequently, I found myself trying to fit actual events into the narrative of the novel, instead of just receiving the novel as it was presented. Perhaps it would be best to know absolutely nothing about Canadian politics to enjoy this as a novel, but then would one get the satire?
A strange, daring beast of a novel.
November 20, 2012
Wish I liked this more, her being a Canadian writer. I gave it the 100 pages I try to give all books and then gave up the ghost. The politics are interesting and the author has a head for intrigue but too many other things did't work. The characters don't live on the page, you are constantly aware of the author putting her words into their mouths. The humour is overdone with descriptive paragraphs often full to bursting with the things that the characters observe and the judgments attached to those items. The mix of named and unnamed characters doesn't work as it is obvious who the main characters are supposed to be (for anyone who follows Canadian politics) and the other famous people with real of fake names are distracting, namne-dropped entities. I didn't care, wasn't laughing and was hoping that it would veer off in another direction, but it didn't. On to the next book...
September 22, 2012
*Disclaimer* I received an advanced copy of this book for free through the Goodreads "First Reads" program
This book is another welcome, and ultimately wonderful addition to the rather short list of Canadian political fiction. Based loosely on the Canadian political events of 2008-2009 (Harper calling an election for purely selfish reasons, wasting a pile of tax dollars only to end up with pretty much the same result as the previous election, the NDP, Liberals and Bloc teaming up to try and topple the government and take over unelected, Harper proroguing them in order to stop them, and then yet again Harper proroguing before the threat of an Afghanistan crisis would lead to his government being toppled), this story is told through characters that are based on very thinly disguised real political players. This tale is told through the perspectives of the characters Becky, who is based obviously on Harpers wife whateverhernameisagain, and Lise, who is based on our former GG.
My first thought while getting into this novel was that this book had a very "borrowed" feel, and this feeling will be strong for the reader that was well in-tune with the Canadian political landscape during the timeframe this book follows. However, I must commend the author for choosing to tell the stories not through the main political players, but through the wives of the main political players. It was nice to rehash this interesting time in Canadian history, and Svendsen manages to give us a new twist on the events, not to mention some interesting fictional twists. As well, this book was quite dark at times, which works to accurately reflect the ethos of this timeframe in Canadian history for the reader. I was actually quite blown away by the end, and I must say that I was able to relate with the conclusion, and I must add that it accurately summed up the feelings that many Canadians had for our "esteemed" leader and the other political characters that were at the forefront during these times.
Ultimately this book was pretty well done. I found it highly readable, approachable (mind you I was a Political Science major in university), and left me both satisfied, and wanting for more at the end. I cannot wait to see what is next from Linda Svendsen, and hope that she adds to this book with more quirky Canadian political satire.
I'm sure you will enjoy this book too!
This book is another welcome, and ultimately wonderful addition to the rather short list of Canadian political fiction. Based loosely on the Canadian political events of 2008-2009 (Harper calling an election for purely selfish reasons, wasting a pile of tax dollars only to end up with pretty much the same result as the previous election, the NDP, Liberals and Bloc teaming up to try and topple the government and take over unelected, Harper proroguing them in order to stop them, and then yet again Harper proroguing before the threat of an Afghanistan crisis would lead to his government being toppled), this story is told through characters that are based on very thinly disguised real political players. This tale is told through the perspectives of the characters Becky, who is based obviously on Harpers wife whateverhernameisagain, and Lise, who is based on our former GG.
My first thought while getting into this novel was that this book had a very "borrowed" feel, and this feeling will be strong for the reader that was well in-tune with the Canadian political landscape during the timeframe this book follows. However, I must commend the author for choosing to tell the stories not through the main political players, but through the wives of the main political players. It was nice to rehash this interesting time in Canadian history, and Svendsen manages to give us a new twist on the events, not to mention some interesting fictional twists. As well, this book was quite dark at times, which works to accurately reflect the ethos of this timeframe in Canadian history for the reader. I was actually quite blown away by the end, and I must say that I was able to relate with the conclusion, and I must add that it accurately summed up the feelings that many Canadians had for our "esteemed" leader and the other political characters that were at the forefront during these times.
Ultimately this book was pretty well done. I found it highly readable, approachable (mind you I was a Political Science major in university), and left me both satisfied, and wanting for more at the end. I cannot wait to see what is next from Linda Svendsen, and hope that she adds to this book with more quirky Canadian political satire.
I'm sure you will enjoy this book too!
March 10, 2017
As satire this book was lacking, well, except for the exaggeration part. But there was no humour or irony, it was just a Canadian political thriller. And if that seems like an oxymoron to you? It is.
October 25, 2012
Great satirization of Canadian politics with a distinctly feminine slant, as it switches between two main characters: Lise, the governor general, and Becky, the prime minister's wife. Author Linda Svendsen gives us a peek into these characters private lives, and how they balance being a political figure, while also being both a wife and a mother. One part Hello! Magazine, one part Maclean's, this book was a very fun, and funny, read.
November 12, 2012
Linda Svendsen has written a political satire that is both wickedly funny and frightening in its proximity to historical events. A must-read for anyone (which should be all of us) who is politically engaged.
March 5, 2018
Not what I expected, a million times better. Ballsy & Funny.
April 28, 2017
This was disappointing. I wanted to love this. Canadian political satire? Love it. However, as a novel this was over the top. It felt like an Air Farce skit gone too long. The humour was too obvious, too easy. The thinly veiled references to Harper and Jean were too transparent and the humour mostly fell short. I liked how uniquely Canadian it is but wanted something much smarter. Intelligent humour isn't just the purview of the left, this could have been so great.
February 11, 2019
Not nearly as funny as Terry Fallis' Best Laid Plan! I found that my rudimentary knowledge of French was not enough to understand some of the dialogue. My American- born Canadian friends would be totally lost. It was a good story, but I wish I'd understood it better.
October 2, 2012
This book was so much fun! A cheeky look at the behind-the-scenes machinations of minority governments, the unnecessary calling of elections, and prorogations, told from the point of view of 2 of the most powerful women in Ottawa - the PM's wife, and the Governor General. Becky and Lise were 2 of the most fun women I've read in ages. Becky - the PM's wife - is manipulative and even cruel when it comes to politics and directing her husband's career, but fiercely protective and caring of her children. Lise is smart and sophisticated and takes her role as GG very seriously, but often finds herself handcuffed by its 'figurehead' nature. I loved some of the 'alternate reality' touches, like the fact that Queen Elizabeth has stepped down and we are now ruled by King Charles. Serious subject matters like the war in Afghanistan and aid in Africa are tempered nicely by pokes at many Canadian institutions like the CBC. Sharp and searing, this book is a must-read for anyone who wishes for an alternate reality - Canadian style.
October 26, 2012
I had a very mixed reaction to this book as I read it. I was super excited with the concept of a book satirizing Canadian political figures with a fake behind-the-scenes story of their inner lives. So I opened the book with anticipation. I liked the first bit, but as I continued reading, I was so disheartened by Becky (the prime minister's wife) and her shenanigans, that I felt discouraged with our political system! I mean, I know this is farcical, but the ways she and her husband were manipulating the political landscape was quite annoying (as someone who lives in this country and cares about it!)
Then I shifted to further enjoyment once the story became more centred on the plot, and less based in reality, so I could enjoy the farce of it and the silly characters. It's a fun book for anyone mildly interested in current affairs.
Then I shifted to further enjoyment once the story became more centred on the plot, and less based in reality, so I could enjoy the farce of it and the silly characters. It's a fun book for anyone mildly interested in current affairs.
February 11, 2013
I thought the author was trying too hard to be clever, especially at the beginning. It turned me off, and I almost put down the book before I got past the first few pages.
The story did pick up later, but even then it was hard to read the Becky chapters as she wasn't very sympathetic.
When I finished, I wondered how closely the stories satirized actual events, and if maybe I missed a few of the connections to real life. Was the Afghanistan story based on something? I read a few book reviews afterwards, but it wasn't clear. They only seemed to talk about the most obvious connections to recent Canadian politics/politicians. Not an amazing book.
The story did pick up later, but even then it was hard to read the Becky chapters as she wasn't very sympathetic.
When I finished, I wondered how closely the stories satirized actual events, and if maybe I missed a few of the connections to real life. Was the Afghanistan story based on something? I read a few book reviews afterwards, but it wasn't clear. They only seemed to talk about the most obvious connections to recent Canadian politics/politicians. Not an amazing book.
February 23, 2013
Probably the worst book I've read in quite awhile. In fact, I didn't even make it beyond 100 pages. Trite and tacky. Not "sparkling" or "witty" or "sharp and funny" as the advance praise would have you believe. Maybe because I actually lived in Ottawa during the period of this book, I found it really poorly fictionalized. In fact, I almost didn't make it past the first few pages wherein the author tries to show off her exceptional vocabulary - not that I don't like good vocabulary, it just did not fit and would have benefitted from some firm editing. Not recommended.
December 16, 2013
An amusing fictional look at the 2008 Canadian Federal Election as narrated by the wife of the Prime Minister, Becky and the Governor General, Lise. Both are obviously based on Laureen Harper and Michaelle Jean. If you have any knowledge of Ottawa, the Prime Minister's office and the government of Canada I think you'll find it amusing. Otherwise ... perhaps you should read Christopher Buckley's "White House Mess" - which although deals with a white house staffer, it doesn't feel like it needs a very specific and knowledgeable audience.
July 18, 2014
This book is a parody (I think) of our proroquing Prime Minister and his family and political maneuvering during 2008 and 2009. Much of it is very close to the truth and from my observations of the political posturing of Stephen Harper there is more truth than fiction here. I guess if our American friends can survive the embarrassment of Richard Nixon we will eventually survive the embarrassment of Stephen Harper. It is definitely worth reading.
April 30, 2013
Couldn't get into this. The writing style was way too cumbersome, everything over-described with multiple adjectives and similes, to the point of inducing vertigo. :(
August 6, 2025
This has been on my to read list a very long time, I had to look up who was PM and GG in 2008/9 as I couldn’t recall. Once I had the actual people in mind, this story seemed so much easier to follow. Some events I recall and some (I hope) were invented. Some were laugh out loud funny, some sobering and some surprising. Overall, I did enjoy this Canadian political satire, especially given it’s theme of the power of women.
August 7, 2017
I wish I had read this when it was first released. Looking back on the Harper years, it would have been much funnier to have read the book then.
July 15, 2019
I wanted to love this SO much - satirical take on Canadian politics? Yes please! But it just fell flat with the abundance of Ottawa and Canada references, felt over the top and forced.
did-not-finish
April 15, 2024DNFing early in. Not because it's bad, but because I don't think it's for me. I'm bouncing on the writing style, and for various reasons I don't think this is going to be a book for me right now.
August 24, 2020
I'm not a big fan of political books but I gave this one a go. It was a Canadian political fiction about the Canadian prime minister (I imagined Justin Trudeau as reading this). Some parts in the book was surprisingly hilarious but all in all, it was quite dull for me. Then again, it's probably because i'm not a huge fan of reading political books!
February 18, 2017
Well, I forced my way through this book which I found pretty awful. The middle was better but the sprinkling of French throughout it was generally awkward "Parce que we just had an election..." Ugh. The black Governor General and her actor husband and a King Charles who actually uses the royal We while on the phone with the GG. Puleese...
September 28, 2012
I recieved this book through Goodreads First Reads.
I didn't not like this book, but I didn't overly like it. I actually thought it was going to be funny, and if it was funny I obviously didn't get it. Perhaps I don't follow my Canadian Government politics closely enough so all of the political talk was way over my head. I also didn't like the french words thrown randomly in throughout the book...kinda bugged me. It had a good storyline overall, secrets and lies throughout which, is always good.
I didn't not like this book, but I didn't overly like it. I actually thought it was going to be funny, and if it was funny I obviously didn't get it. Perhaps I don't follow my Canadian Government politics closely enough so all of the political talk was way over my head. I also didn't like the french words thrown randomly in throughout the book...kinda bugged me. It had a good storyline overall, secrets and lies throughout which, is always good.
December 29, 2012
I rather enjoyed this book, partly because I grew up in Ottawa so it was fun to read a book where I was familiar with the setting and referenced locations. Also fun to read a political intrigued set in Canada - you never really think of these things happening, but I suppose it isn't impossible for us to be just as corrupt and ridiculous as anything we read in books or see in movies set in the US political arena.
An easy and fun read, starts rather light and turns quite dark and twisty. And kind of made me wish I paid more attention to how my country works.
An easy and fun read, starts rather light and turns quite dark and twisty. And kind of made me wish I paid more attention to how my country works.
January 6, 2013
I found this book neither funny nor satisfying, despite the claims of the summary. Instead, I found it hateful---I hate every "character" (all real life people wearing thick glasses and funny noses at best), I find their motivations highly disturbing, and it was filled with the worst of politics.
I gave it two stars because I believe there is a remarkable amount of truth hidden behind those glasses (and violence, which I'm sure was intended to make it all very serious for the characters but ultimately reinforced their unlikeability instead). That truth was somewhat entertaining.
I gave it two stars because I believe there is a remarkable amount of truth hidden behind those glasses (and violence, which I'm sure was intended to make it all very serious for the characters but ultimately reinforced their unlikeability instead). That truth was somewhat entertaining.
May 6, 2013
I wanted to give this book 4 stars but it is a bit uneven although a lot of fun to read if you are a political junkie. This is a doppelganger uniquely Canadian universe where the government of the day closely resembles our own. It starts to get a big confusing and thin when all of a sudden with less than a hundred pages to go the plot takes a dramatic turn. Seemingly loose ends suddenly start getting tied together. It seems like a rushed ending but the left turn in the story helps pick up the pace considerably. This is a great beach read for the long weekend. Enjoy.
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