What Is Going to Happen Next

by Karen Hofmann

Karen Hofmann's empathetic and cathartic novel, What is Going to Happen Next, pieces together the lives of five members of the Lund family following their enforced dispersal after the death of the father and the hospitalization of the mother in the remote West Coast community of Butterfly Lake. It explores their self-doubts and aspirations in the ways they cope with their separation and reunion through their work and personal relationships, and reveals the ways in which their past is filtered through memory and desire. It also skillfully exposes a Vancouver class system from the perspectives of diverse socio-economic conditions and lifestyles.

Genres: Fiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2017

About the author

Karen Hofmann grew up in the Okanagan Valley, completed a BA and MA at the University of Victoria, and now teaches English and creative writing at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia. She lives at the edge of a former pine forest with her husband, many children and small animals, and the constant fear that she has forgotten to do something important.

Reviews

[Laura Frey (Reading in Bed) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, surprising book. something a bit off with Cliff's sections... I wish it'd been all about the sisters.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a moving, quite absorbing novel about siblings who were separated as children. It's about their lives, about what family is and isn't and can and cannot be. I was drawn to this book because of its eye catching cover, which I think is quite fitting for the novel. I was moved to tears more than once reading this book.

[Elma Schemenauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mr. and Mrs. Giesbrecht are foster parents in the novel WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT by Kamloops-based author and professor Karen Hofmann. From the Giesbrechts' name and details in the story, I gather they're Mennonites. That's my ancestral background too (Dutch-German Mennonite from Russia). It's also the background of the main characters in my novel CONSIDER THE SUNFLOWERS, so I was especially interested in Hofmann's Giesbrechts.

This couple take in two of five siblings left homeless after their father dies in the remote coastal British Columbia community of Butterfly Lake.

What happens to the displaced siblings? Mandalay becomes sort of a butterfly, moving from relationship to relationship to relationship. Che dies, and Cleo blames herself because she didn't help him as much as she could. She seeks solace and stability in an uninspiring, restrictive marriage. Cliff, who is developmentally challenged, enjoys his job as a gardener, but gets involved with an unsuitable woman who almost kills him when he leaves her. Ben, like his siblings, wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but acquires one when he's adopted by a wealthy lawyer couple.

The author kept me intrigued with her characters' lives and interactions, most of which take place in Vancouver in relatively recent times. A major theme of the novel is children's needs and how they can be misunderstood by seemingly well-meaning people. Another theme is contrasts between rich folks and those who are less well off. Perhaps the most important theme is the strength of the human spirit and of family connections.

The book's cover and title sell it short in my opinion. It's a more dynamic, sophisticated, and thoughtful story than they seem to suggest. Thanks for writing it, Karen Hofmann.

[Alison Jacques · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this character-driven book. It really pulled me in. I spent the first half wishing for more of the story of the characters as children, but as it went on, some of their past was filled in and I realized that the first chapter, set entirely in the past, was enough. It was a slow burn, but now that I've finished the book, I plan to also read the sequel so I can spend more time with Cleo, Cliff, and Mandalay. I'll be recommending this.

[Felicity Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read by Hofmann and what I enjoy about her writing is the way she tells ordinary stories that at first lead the reader to believe that nothing much is happening but eventually reveal a deeper narrative that is anything but boring. I was pulled in by all of these characters and fascinated by the intersectionality of all of their stories and experiences. Can’t wait to read the next one in the series!

[Petra Willemse · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at Vancouver's lifestyles and the families that make them up.

[Blaine Jemming]

This was a great book,
The author planned out all of the character’s very well