Canada

I was so excited when I received a notice from the library that Canada by Richard Ford was ready for me to pick up.  I have been dying to read this novel since I read a synopsis.

Dell and his twin sister Berner live with their parents in a small rural town.  At 15 years old, Dell is looking forward to school in the fall and maybe, just maybe, he will find a friend.  Until his life is irrevocably altered, that is, by his parents decision to rob a bank.  They are caught, and Dell is sent to Canada to work at a rural hotel by his mother's friend.  Dell grows up a great deal and discovers more about himself than he ever thought possible.

This book was what I would call a sweeping epic.  Dell's journey--losing his parents, losing his sister, and ending up in a small Canadian town where he must learn to fend for himself--is intense, deep, and lovely.  Ford's prose is encompassing and dense, and I appreciate this in such an epic.  His writing is languid and rich--it was hard to put this down.