Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Green Books Campaign Review: The Find by Kathy Page

This review is part of the Green Books Campaign. Today 200 bloggers take a stand to support books printed in an eco-friendly manner by simultaneously publishing reviews of 200 books printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using eco- friendly paper, we hope to raise the awareness of book buyers and encourage everyone to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books.

The campaign is organized for the second time by Eco-Libris, a green company working to make reading more sustainable. We invite you to join the discussion on “green” books and support books printed in an eco-friendly manner! A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on the Eco-Libris website.

The Find was printed on FSC-certified paper from mixed sources that’s 99% recycled (including the cover) and Ancient Forest Friendly. For more information about the environmental characteristics of the paper used to print The Find and to take the green book quiz, visit Webcom, the print provider for McArthur & Company Publishing.
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The Find by Kathy Page is the story of Anna, a palaeontologist with a secret who makes an amazing discovery, and Scott, a high-school dropout who is caring for his alcoholic father. A chance meeting between the two leads Anna to confide in Scott and later ask him to join her on her dig. As both internal and external conflicts plague the project, Anna becomes increasingly dependent on Scott.

I haven’t been reading much fiction lately, so I approached this novel with some trepidation, almost convincing myself in advance that I wouldn’t like it. However, from the first chapter, Page’s vivid descriptions pulled me right into Anna and Scott’s world. Here, for example, is an excerpt from the opening scene: “Outside: a wall of water, the deafening roar of a million tiny parts. The rain sang and drummed, raced downwards, pooled, spurted from guttering, burst in gurgling torrents from downspouts, bubbled from blocked drains” (p. 9). (Can’t you hear that rain?) As mentioned in the blurb on the back of the book, The Find is a complex story about “discovery, inheritance and fate”—it’s a multifaceted novel that almost reads like a literary thriller. (I stayed up late at night to finish it!)

There are a multitude of characters in this book—much more so than in many novels (where main characters often seem to know such a limited number of people). Anna especially is surrounded by friends, family and colleagues, which I occasionally found confusing, as I had trouble keeping some of the more minor characters straight. By the same token, their inclusion in the story helps to ground it in reality and makes the ending of the book all the more poignant.

My favourite quote:
“It seemed to her that life was sometimes terrifying, at other times shot through with bliss. So much in it, all at once: the creep of continental plates, the code in your genes, the smell of cooking, the memory of your mother’s voice calling you out of your dream. Extinctions and creations. The rush of birdsong at dawn. A woman’s belly, tight with the life inside. There were so many discoveries: those you went looking for, yearned for so much that it hurt, and others which lay waiting and which, if you knew of them, you’d do anything to escape, and behind each of them, another. A switchback ride, a dream of flight.” (p. 157)
The Find offers the best of all worlds: descriptions that draw you in without distracting from the story, realistic characters who face difficult choices, and a complex plot that keeps you turning the pages until the very end—with the added bonus that it’s published on one of the greenest types of text paper available. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of Michelle Richmond or Janette Turner Hospital.

Thank you to Eco-Libris for organizing the Green Book Campaign and to McArthur & Company for sending me this book to review.
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Other review: Geranium Cat’s Bookshelf (which gives away a lot more of the plot than I did!)

Interview with the author: BookClubBuddy
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17 comments:

  1. This book is definitely going on my wishlist. I love the quote you included in your review. She sounds like a great writer. I'm glad you discovered her and shared it with us!

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  2. Laura, I found it really hard to write about this book without giving away too much of the plot -- I was glad to go into the story knowing very little about what happens. I'm definitely going to look up this author's other books -- this is her seventh novel!

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  3. Sounds interesting--I love it when I discover a new author from trying something new, like you did.

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  4. YEAH! Another win for Green Books Campaign 2010!

    It's always a plus when a book exceeds our expectation and this was a fantastic review. You did not give away anything, you made me want to read it even more.

    Great review Avis :)

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  5. I always have trouble with giving away too much of the plot too. I often end up saying barely anything about it for that reason. That is a great review, Avis. Definitely makes me want to read the book!

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  6. Me too, Jeanne. This has gotten me thinking about the Canadian authors I've discovered since I started blogging. (Hmm, there might be a blog post in that!)

    PK (Aisle B), yay, thank you! I hope you do get a chance to read this book!

    Thanks, Donna, I think you'd enjoy this one.

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  7. I totally like the sound of this one! Excellent review and you've gotten me interested in reading this book :D

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  8. I like books with vivid descriptions. Thanks for sharing this book.

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  9. It's great when a book exceeds expectations like that!

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  10. Excellent review! I hadn't heard of this book before. I'm glad you ended up enjoying it.

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  11. Staci and Serena, I hope you both give this book a try!

    Alyce, I was definitely pleasantly surprised! (And my negative mindset didn't have much to do with this book, really -- I think I would have felt that way about any novel at that point.)

    Teddy Rose, I had never even heard of this author before, despite the fact that she's been publishing books since the mid-80s. I'm very glad to have discovered her finally.

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  12. I hadn't heard of this author before. I'm so happy to find a new author. The best part of reading books blogs is finding new authors. Thank you so much.

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  13. Sounds like you picked a great book to read!

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  14. Fun! I love the passages you shared from this book.

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  15. Great review ... and yes, I can hear that rain.

    I think it wonderful when you can find good books and not feel so guilty about reading them because of the way they are produced.

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  16. What a great review! I'm going to look this one up!

    Julie @ Knitting and Sundries

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  17. This sounds like a book that sucks you in right from the start!

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