The Shipping News Book

"The Shipping News" is E. Annie Proulx's second novel, published back in 1993. The book won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. She has a unique voice and her command of language is impressive. The strength of this book is her prose and strong sense of place. She writes in short staccato sentences, sometimes even using incomplete phrases, but with such inventive and fitting language. She seems to have a vast vocabulary but uses rare words sparingly. Her unpretentious talent is more from finding creative uses of everyday words. This talent is fitting for a story that largely takes place in a sparse, inhospitable place, with simple characters and results in real depth underneath these humble characters and locals.

The story follows Quoyle, a hulk of a man, who's life begins with dysfunction and tragedy. He is a man adrift in upstate New York, deadened from abuse and ill treatment. The only positive thing he receives from his early life and broken marriage to an unfaithful and dreadful wife, is two daughters. An Aunt, Angis Hamm, convinces Quoyle to return to his ancestral home in Newfoundland where he finds work on the local newspaper. This is where the story really finds solid ground with Proulx deftly describing the local culture, language, and harsh climate of Newfoundland.

If there is a weakness in this book, it's that the striking language, and intriguing side observations tended to distract me from the story line. There were moments where I became lost in the story and needing to backtrack or accept that I was lost for a bit, until I found enough clues to navigate back to familiar waters. While several key characters were fully formed, many of the secondary characters were one dimensional and never took shape in my mind. However, the strength of the prose and the rich setting were enough to keep me engaged throughout the entire story. There was just enough struggle and heartbreak to drive the story and we see real change in Quoyle.

I finished "The Shipping News" feeling that Proulx is a better writer than character builder and story teller. But I still believe she's a talent and this is an important work. There is such great connection between her language skills and the setting and people of this book. The desolate location, angry ocean, and gritty town feel like the best, most recognizable character in the book, if that makes sense. Worthy of its acclaim and awards, I give it four and a half stars, rounded to five. An artistic tale of small triumphs and personal growth perched in the richly layered backdrop of a seaside northern town.