The Shipping News

The Shipping NewsWinner of the Pulitzer Prize, Annie Proulxs The Shipping News is a vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary North American family. Quoyle, a third rate newspaper hack, with a head shaped like a crenshaw, no neck, reddish hair features as bunched as kissed fingertips, is wrenched violently out of his workaday life when his two timing wife meets her just desserts. An aunt convinces Quoyle and his two emotionally

takes a breath and returns to life

Brimming with onomatopoeia and Walt’s affirming chants

Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together

can’t-stop-thinking-about-him

had kept a life-changing secret from you

with Selasi’s secret revealed and Akorfa forced to reckon with her role in their estrangement

On the heels of leaving yet another city

with all his heart

simply put

But when life delivered blow after devastating blow

and red herrings

and For Esme With Love and Squalor--will not be surprised by the fact that his first novel is full of children