Drawn

by Lee Revie

"Drawn" is a novel set at Niagara Falls during the 1990s. It’s the story of thirty year old Sue Norns, a professional student who has spent her short lifetime running away. First, it was her family that needed rejecting, in particular, her father, the famous black belt known as the Great Wonder who'd groomed her into a pedigreed karate star. Now, she's trying to escape from her doctoral thesis. Instead of working on it, she accepts Madeline Queasy’s short-term job illustrating a children's book about dragonflies. While Sue seems more than jaded—she’s read too much, seen too much, expects too much—Madeline, a forty-something widow who has been holed up in her late-husband’s funeral parlour, appears a little reticent, unworldly and confused. But, as Sue finds out, Madeline’s no shrinking violet. Focused on what she wants to do—find the insects, draw the pictures—it takes Madeline some time to open up to the sunshine, good wine, and provocative talk. Enraptured by their common sketching mission, and accompanied by Madeline’s rascally dog named Dug, the trio investigate the various nooks and crannies around the Niagara Escarpment, especially the waterfalls, wax museums, historical houses, and camping parks. By the end of their search, Sue and Madeline face their demons, both mythic and real, and at the climax of the novel, during a steamy tent scene in a nudist colony, they share a love that is necessary, and healing.

182 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 11, 2018

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes, you think your first impression of something is too harsh and too soon and so you go back hoping to find more, to give that something another chance. But (also) sometimes your second impression really just turns out to be your first one after all.

Despite top notch writing and a unique, almost appealingly clinical, feel (free of any cutesy-ness or eye-rolling romance) to Drawn, in the end I just do not care for the main character. I have to confess that though I got much further this time I did not quite finish, so perhaps I have no room to judge.

It’s more than just that I don’t root for the main character (which certainly does not always have to be the case for a story to work)...I wish I could explain it better, as unlikable characters can make for interesting fiction and so my reason isn’t very solid.

I guess what it truly comes down to is the fact that life is very, very short and the list of more books waiting is very, very long.