GSWS Feminist Book Club - October 2024

Monkey Beach

Eden Robinson

Vintage (2000)

Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson transports the reader to the author’s community of Kitamaat Village on the shore of British Columbia with beautifully vivid imagery. After her brother Jimmy disappears at sea, Lisamarie goes on a journey to find him while reflecting on meaningful events in her life.

Overall, the group enjoyed the striking descriptions of the land, the animals and the nature of the north and felt that the authors’ writing style made the reading experience very sensorial. Robinson manages to depict a multi-dimensioned existence where the supernatural, spiritual and physical converge, grounded in Haisla spirituality.

The book shows the point-of-view of a close-knit family touched by the legacy of death, additction, trauma, suicide, tragedy and the immense bonds of love. The relationships between the main character, her family, friends and people in her community were pivotal in the story and some of us wished Robinson had explored these more in depth. The impacts of colonialism, residential schools, violence against Indigenous women and intergenerational trauma shape Lisamarie’s and her community’s experiences, but are not the central topics of the book and are often mentioned in passing.

Some of us enjoyed the non-linear nature of the book, while others felt that it made the read challenging. Generally, we felt that the group discussion helped to make sense of some parts, like the ending, and made some of us love the book even more.

Average Rating: 4