A15

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

In Feed My Dear Dogs, Emma Richler returns to the life of the Weiss family, first introduced to readers in her debut-and much-celebrated-book, Sister Crazy, through a series of interconnected stories narrated by Jemima (Jem) Weiss.

The novel begins with the family in London, where eight-year-old Jem and her sister attend a convent school to the consternation of most of the nuns, since not only are the Weiss children not Catholic, but, most perplexingly, they are half-Jewish. Soon, however, the family departs for Canada - "Dad's country," as the children see it - where together they begin a new life, shuttling between a Montreal townhouse and a country home, and adapting to their new land - even creating the "Weiss on Ice" hockey team.

No matter where the family is, each member is fiercely loyal to home. But the comfort and security of family can't last forever, Jem learns in high school, as Jude plans an extensive travel itinerary for himself and Ben contemplates moving out on his own. Meanwhile, Jem's burgeoning feminism pits her against her father and brothers while she battles with a burden of guilt over the near-drowning death of her youngest brother. Spiraling into a breakdown by the story's tragically beautiful end, Jem discovers that families simply can not remain fixed, like the stars in the galaxies, unchanged forever.

Intermingled through the story of the Weiss family are Jem's (and her siblings') encyclopedic knowledge of history, literature, film, religion and language. Richler also interweaves the almost mythic life story of Frances, the family's matriarch, into the book, and provides glimpses into Jem's troubled mind through a series of present-day conversations with her therapist, all of which serve to create a fully drawn portrait of Jem, her mother and the bond between them and the family as a whole.