For the 20th
day of my Book Advent Calendar, it’s time for the letter “U”. My author of choice is Jane Urquhart, a
Canadian writer from northern Ontario – a part of the province dear to my
heart.
Day
20: Sanctuary Line by Jane Urquhart
4
Stars
The
narrator is a 40-year-old entomologist, Liz Crane, who uses her memory to
describe the golden era of a prosperous Irish-Canadian farm family and the
crisis that brings about its demise. She
lets her mind wander back to the fun-filled summers of her childhood spent
amongst her cousins and the rest of the extended family. Individuals and relationships are revisited
again and again, revealing a bit more each time, although questions remain so
far as the family saga is concerned.
The theme
of loss is central. Liz loses her
innocence, her cousin Mandy to death in Afghanistan, her uncle, and her first
love. These loses perhaps explain her
aloofness from commitments and her decision to live a solitary life.
The monarch
butterfly is a strong symbol. Its harsh,
brief, beautiful life echoes that of her extended family and their apple
orchard empire. They serve as constant
reminders of impermanence which is also foreshadowed by the family members who
choose careers as lighthouse keepers.
The monarch butterfly’s migratory habits and generational permutations
are parallels for the Butler family saga with its tales of immigration and “the
Great-Greats” lives. Like a monarch, Liz
seems to have a genetically imprinted sense of orientation and
interconnectedness which leads her to return to her summer home.
Reflection
(mirrors, water, glass) is another symbol attesting to the superficiality and
fragility of appearances. Liz’s aunt
shatters her treasured collection of glass after her marriage is shown to be a
sham. Crumbling buildings, old
furniture, useless appliances and rusty implements serve as metaphors for
transience.
This is a book work re-reading. What is revealed at the end makes one want to
start again from the beginning to reconsider events and people.
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