Back in the Land of the Living

by Eva Crocker

A sexy, unforgettable story about love and longing in a time of chaos by Scotiabank Giller Prize longlisted author Eva Crocker. Back in the Land of the Living brings us a year in the life of Marcy, a young queer woman who moves to Montreal in the fall of 2019 after making a mess of her life in St. John’s. Alone in a big city on the brink of lockdown, Marcy finds herself working an assortment of odd and sometimes dangerous, sometimes ethically questionable jobs, and swept up in a tumultuous romance with a charismatic woman. As friends, loyalties, and philosophies collide, Marcy tries to carve out a future amidst the intertwined crises of late capitalism, the climate apocalypse, and the Covid-19 pandemic. With all the candour, wit, and bracing wisdom that have won her accolades and awards across Canada, Eva Crocker gives us a sexy, unforgettable story about love and longing in a time of chaos.

Genres: Queer, Fiction, Canada, Contemporary, Ebooks, LGBT, Literary Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

Published August 22, 2023

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in the Land of the Living was… Just fine. Following Marcy, a young queer woman moving to a new city where she begins working new jobs, exploring friendships and entering a tumultuous relationship, all on the brink of the pandemic. While well written and an enjoyable read, this book just felt like the typical “messy young woman trying to figure it all out” literary fiction except the setting was changed to the pandemic. There wasn’t anything particularly exceptional or special about it, and it just felt derivative. I also find the pandemic setting to be a challenge to master well, seeing as it’s such a weird time that is over but also not really over.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

[maddie. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Womp womp. I didn't like this. It was like watching a kid play with dolls -- things certainly...happen, I guess? But there's no sense of interiority or experiential reality. Simply very boring.

thnx anyway netgalley!

[Evan Beazley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An apocalyptic coming-of-age story with some of the most pleasantly stark narration I've encountered in a long time. Crocker infuses the story with deft descriptions of her protagonist's inner life, and the spectres of climate collapse and capitalist ruin haunt the narrative.

Gems of beauty, joy and pleasure lay buried throughout, and Crocker writes with the confidence that her reader will uncover them. Outstanding.

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
A coming of age story in Montreal, which is a city I love. “Normal People” vibes, so of course I adored it. Well written and relatable!

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Little Fish reference! Everything!
Thank you to House of Anansi for my advance review copy!

[nova · Rating 1 out of 5]

Remind me to never ever read a covid story again … i don’t know how i didn’t realize

[tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the Land of the Living is a novel written like it’s meant to be enjoyed at bedtime. The story is Marcy’s, a queer twenty-something who moves to Montreal after feeling stifled by her childhood home of Newfoundland.

The novel follows Marcy as she takes on various odd jobs to pay her rent, from trimming weed to becoming a subject in a medical trial. This novel speaks to me as a lesbian who is also constantly disillusioned by capitalism, yearning for queer community, and confused by seemingly basic tasks and procedures. I enjoyed reading Marcy’s journey as she slowly re-enters the land of the living, all the way through her toxic relationship and the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There’s no big AHA moment; no huge transformation. Marcy’s growth is inching, and it’s there. She says no when it matters and embraces the friendships that she’d been seeking all along. I never felt bored when reading this novel; it unfolds at a very natural pace for the character. It felt a bit like a queer friend sitting down and sharing their lived experience with me, explaining how they made it through a confusing period of their life. It made me feel a little closer to my community, and I enjoyed it.

Huge thank you to House of Anansi Press Inc and Netgalley for my advanced readers copy.

[Laurie Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in the Land of the Living is Crocker’s third novel and has her signature detailed prose on every page. In Back in the Land of the Living, we meet Marcy, a young queer woman who moves to Montreal from Newfoundland after thinking she has screwed up her life beyond repair. This novel feels like a meditation on growing up and moving on to find out who you are. The paths you could take or not take, the decisions you make without really thinking and the community you try to find. It often feels dark and hopeless but as someone who often has left home and felt like I had to leave to truly know who I was, it is certainly relatable. Crocker captures this odd time we are living in with ease, with capitalism, loneliness and the climate crisis.

As Marcy is trying to find her way in the big city, the Covid-19 pandemic hits and she finds herself isolated with her charismatic but troubled and hot-tempered girlfriend, days passing without difference, that strange time in our lives. I still find the Covid-19 pandemic an odd thing to read and reflect about, in its state of still sort of being here and the strange lockdown time not too far behind us.

This is a book that perfectly grasps what it is like to be in your 20s, seeking community, unsure which way to turn. Marcy grows into herself slowly, learning to make better choices as she inches her way along. Nothing much happens, there is no big moment, but rather a well-crafted story of the weightless tossing that life sometimes feels like when you are trying to contemplate what kind of person you should even be.

[Enid Wray · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing “wrong” with this title, but there is nothing that sets this above the crowd. For me, this was ‘meh’ material. Indeed, I was pretty much bored reading the entire book. Pick up, put down, pick up, put down, repeat for days and days.

Yes this speaks to a 20-something reader. Yes this speaks to the queer community/experience.

The real problem though is that it fails to engage. Marcy does this. Marcy does that. On and on and on…

You can write an “queer story” that will appeal to a wide readership. This is not that story. Perhaps then, I’m just not the reader for this title?

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early digital review copy (even though it took me til now to actually get to it... and posting).

2.5 rounded up to 3

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is zero internal anything. It is the character did this, then she did that, then she did this. Then long sections of dialogue. No exposition. The main character had no internal life for some reason.Not sure why it was written in this style. I thought I had read her work before but clearly I have not. Words get repeated, sometimes in the same sentence. Was there an editor?

[Hcro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book pulls you in and will have you sitting on the couch all afternoon turning pages guilt free. It's relatable in a comforting way - normalizes all the bizarre shit we go through trying to enjoy our youth in the apocalypse.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at page 58. Very dull. In future, I will avoid novels about young women trying "to carve out a future amidst the intertwined crises of late capitalism, the climate apocalypse, and the Covid-19 pandemic."

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated a book of fiction that included the pandemic as part of its plot. And given that it was written during the pandemic it's is a pretty accurate depiction. Having said that, this is not a book about the pandemic.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

|| BACK IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING ||
#gifted/@houseofanansi
✍🏻
After enjoying Crockers's Giller nominated ALL I ASK I was eager to read her follow up!

Back in the Land of the Living follows Marcy, a young queer women as she moves to Montreal at the beginning of the pandemic, leaving a tumultuous life in St John's behind. Navigating a new life, new city, odd jobs, and romance all within the first year of the pandemic's new realities.

This book is a wonderful representation of people in their 20's. Exploring who you are and finding out who you want to be in this chaotic world we live in nowadays. It was at times funny, tender and wise. I find books set in the pandemic hit or miss but this one worked!

Available August 22nd, thanks to @houseofanansi for the ARC

For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong

[Kailin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt like real life, but a well written version.

[Ally Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhaled

[Natalie Believe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about nothing much, about making mistakes and finding joy in the small moments. As always stories about Montreal bring a flavour to the story in a way that only Montreal can.

[Jessrawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Eva for their imperfect characters who are given permission to make mistakes and still find love and comfort, chiefly in friends.

[honora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah meh