Canaries

by Dyanne Asimow

“…She is not prepared to be Linda, but Linda will have to do... not the name she would have given herself… that name would have been Simone…” So begins Canaries. 35-year-old Linda is in the midst of a midlife a marriage disappearing, and a voice lost. Through a series of adventures, sexual and otherwise, from Death Valley to the Oscars, she realizes being voiceless – temporarily -- has benefits she hadn't imagined. Sly irony, compassionate details, and a dash of magical realism create a classic tale proving that finding oneself, one’s voice, can be much more or much less than knowing one’s correct name.In her clever and touching novel, Canaries, Dyanne Asimow has created a witty song about voice – how we lose ours, and how we find it. Asimow’s own voice is rich with humor, intelligence and charm. Comic and bracing, Canaries is a joy to read. --Cathleen Schine, bestselling author, The Love Letter; The GrammariansCanaries is a gorgeously written and compulsively readable tale about finding one’s voice – in a both literal and metaphysical sense. Dyanne Asimow’s observations about marriage, sex and self-identity are vividly original. --Lindsay Marcott, bestselling author, Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost; The Producer’s Daughter.I devoured Canaries! The humor, the light touch, the twists and turns of the plot and especially Linda/Simone’s voice coming through the pages. Truly, a delight So much fun, with heart and poignancy beneath the fun. --Bernadette Murphy, bestselling author, Zen and the Art of Knitting; Harley and Embracing Risk on the Road to a More Authentic LifeIn Canaries, Asimow offers a novel unchained from convention. The fourth wall is broken, points of view shift. At its heart lies a search for breath, clarity, and renewal. Characters experience death, rebirth, and uninhibited sex to discover their truest voice. A beautiful, illuminating book. --Rich Ferguson, CA Beat Poet Laureate (2020-2022)

Kindle Edition

Published July 19, 2021

Reviews

[Rebecca Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A wild ride into losing and finding your voice again (figuratively and literally), but with some incoherent bumps along the way. There were points of the story where I wanted to stop reading, but I kept going just to see how it would all come together. While an interesting take on mental health and learning to be who you truly are, the ending didn't really come together well for the characters.

[Susan Baskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dyanne Asimow's "Canaries" intrigued me from the very first page. In her story of Linda, Asimow deftly explores and expands our understanding of narrative and voice, both literal and figurative. The book's LA characters and settings are keenly observed, recognizable, but never cliched. Sly, smart and wickedly original "Canaries" is wise and uplifting in what it reveals about marriage, identity and family. Readers joining Linda on her "Heroes Journey," will finish the book inspired to find voices of their own that can shatter glass and make love with the sun. Read it now.

[Margie Rosenblum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put Canaries down. Many of the events resonated with experiences that I have had. I am in awe at how vivid and accurate are Dyanne Asimow's descriptions. I usually read myself to sleep at night but Canaries did not put me to sleep. I stayed up late to find out what happens in this amazing tale.

[PAUL W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Dyanne,
I just finished reading Canaries--that is, the final draft which is this book--and of course remembered that I had read this story of yours many years ago, except that I don't remember in that draft the second half being as brilliant as the first, nor as sexy, which made me fill with admiration for your full working out of the tale and the polish of the writing.
I pay attention to every word these days when I read (I've been polishing my latest draft for eighteen months), and found you wrote nothing that stopped the utterly smooth ride--no words, no allusions, nor even the quotes of others, or exterior observations, did anything but augment our understanding and delight. Frankly, I though the whole think (typo:"thing," but no, it was a great think.. and feel) was brilliant, truly brilliant, from beginning to end and, perhaps, more importantly, interesting and beautiful.
What amazed me, then and now, was/is the very conception of the project, but I think I had commented to you way back when that I loved the character-author shifting contexts so (seemingly) effortlessly--by the way, much, much better than Woody Allen's screenplay tried to do, Midnight in Paris. I felt always I was in good and skillful hands that knew what they were doing.
I should admit the emotional truth of Simone's transcendence gave me goose pimples, sorry--but it did, first on p.168 when Linda sings scales with Daniel, while Sam listens by the piano leg.
I haven't explained adequately the freshness of the experience of moving through this drama of yours--the author's speculations are so integral to the character's that there is no difficulty in understanding and feeling their unity, which expands the perspective and wallop (too strong? sometime wallop, sometimes a light punch in the shoulder), over and over again, culminating in a perfect ending.

[Hilary Reyl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dyanne Asimow's CANARIES is at once wickedly intelligent and wildly tender. The plot runs so swiftly that the stunning complexity of the narrative feels playful, never heavy. The prose sparkles with humor and sexiness. The plot is great; the characters are fabulous and fabulously flawed. There is so much here about the space between speech and silence in the mind and actions of Asomow's heroine - the novel echoes deeply after reading. Asimow's weave of the literal and metaphysical is a stylistic wonder. CANARIES is a both provocative and wonderfully inclusive. The reader feels challenged as well as embraced - and she really wants to know what is going to happen as the book builds to its climax! A truly satisfying read on many levels....

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that feeling of wanting to cancel plans because you are dying to read the next chapter of a novel? That's what it was like reading this book. Right from the opening chapter, the protagonist is alive and vulnerable and provided with an addictive set of problems to solve. Every new obstacle or plot wrinkle made the narrative richer and, as I was reaching the final chapters, I wasn't sure how the author would end the book, but when the end arrived, it was so fulfilling, and in a way I never expected but made perfect sense. I was given this book by a friend who loved it and I plan to do the same.

[Joan Meyerson]

A woman loses her voice -- both literally and metaphorically – and "Canaries" takes us with her on an intriguing journey to self-knowledge. It’s a perfect pitch of a novel, as Asimow employs a clever mix of POV narratives, while peppering in sexy romps, Jungian and scientific insights, and even a dash of Hollywood celebrity fun.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It is fast, funny, deep, and smart. It should come with a warning; This book will change you. It will exhilarate, horrify, edify, shock, titillate, and finally liberate you. Or at least a piece of you. It is just one of those books. Brava, Dyanne Asimow!

[Renee Ciocca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Canaries! Such an enjoyable read! It’s funny, it’s smart, and it keeps surprising you by not being what you expected. I’ve been giving it to friends I liked it so much. The author succeeds in constructing it in such a way that makes it different from most books, but still easy enough to follow. I definitely recommend it.

[Sydney Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sound of Simone

The author is very erudite, making tangential forays into topics not exactly related except metaphorically to the story. Sometimes this seems too smart but in the end it shapes the personality of Linda who is transformed into Simone. It is hip and funny and fun to read.