Bruce's Reviews > Sarah Canary

This book can be challenging to rigid thinkers as it does not fit easily into genre. It could be mainstream fiction, science fiction, magic realism, non fiction.

It presents the very real, surprisingly weird world of 1870's west coast america viewed through the very different perspectives of outsiders native to the times. Everyone projects their desires onto the magnetic but enigmatic Sarah Canary and carries out their hopeful but blinkered quests, crossing eachother's paths and opposing or helping eachother as is appropriate.

For most of the book this is entertaining, funny and clever. At the end it is very sad.

As one expects, a commentary on the current times as well, quite a balloon popper really.

I usually want some transcendence to earn a 5 star rating. The transcendence offered here is very small, very realistic, very grounded. And I hope also that this indicates that reading this book was time very well spent for me.