Reading the book after I’ve seen the movie is a rarity for me. Usually, like many people I know who still love to read, I read the book first, and if a movie is made, go see it if I feel a decent interpretation might be made or if actors are in it who could carry the author’s characters. And usually, like many people I know who still love to read, I am disappointed in the movie.
In the case of `The Shipping News’ by Annie Proulx, I loved the movie and it did what every movie ought for me – filled my head with wonderful images and left me with a memorable tale – of redemption and the overcoming of a painful life … a great journey for a broken soul set against a backdrop of a rich but harsh country. Having seen the movie, I didn’t know what to expect from the book.
First, Annie Proulx has done her homework – she truly researched the culture of Newfoundland, where most of the story takes place. Her descriptions soon have your imagination spinning. But what initially set me off was her writing style … terse, incomplete sentences, often almost like commentary. It made it a bit more difficult for me to connect. But the more I read, the more it seemed that she was writing as a Newfoundlander, and indeed her style is like the speech of its residents. Soon, it drew me in and had me feeling one with this brusque language.
What I now find most impressive – and I’ve not finished the book yet – is that Ms. Proulx has successfully made me forget everything in the movie and live in her story … no small feat. Only Kevin Spacey, who played Quoyle, remains, and that is because I find him a phenomenal actor. But even there, he is better looking than her character, being neither as heavy nor having as enlarged a chin. More and more, as I read, I’m seeing the author’s beleaguered hero of `The Shipping News’.
If you enjoy a good novel with some meat on its bones, pick it up. If Annie Proulx’s style is off-putting at first, I’d recommend pushing on through it – you’ll soon be engrossed. And I love reading a book that I can’t wait to get back to.
p.s. Having finished reading the book, I again went back to see the movie … and in this case, I found one enriched the other, something rather unusual.
Still A Dreamer 