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Everything (2010)

by Kevin Canty(Favorite Author)

3.48 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0385533306 (ISBN13: 9780385533300)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Nan A. Talese

review 1: There are four main characters in “Everything”, who form the basis of Cantys new book. RL is the main character, and the story begins with him and June. Soon we are introduced to Layla, RL’s 19-year-old daughter. The characters are in remembrance of RL’s old friend, and June old husband, who died.. They are drinking by the river, and Cantys description of the Montana river, soon to be followed by other beautiful but not flowery details of the open blue sky of Montana really call out to the reader. Each of these characters wants something. The point of unrest begins when June dumps the rest of the bottle they are drinking from into the river, decisively moving on. RL feels as though he is drifting away from her. He is also beset by the feeling that he is not doing a... more good job as a father for his copetent and outdoorsy daughter. Each character wants something, beyond or different from the life or love they chose. The story mainly circulates itself around RL, who is in love with a woman with cancer. The human interactions the Canty writes are superbly detailed, and resonate with the truth of the daily life, capturing the tension and pull of a simple conversation. Layla, the daughter, starts up a relationship with Edgar. Canty implies that she is working off her jealousy and doubts about a boyfriend studying in Russia. Edgar is married and this leads to another satisfying level of tension and climax. Edgar is a good man and feels guilty about his affair, even as he draws portraits of Layla. Even simple sentences are re-written with artistic and unique sentences, most typically natural metaphors. All of this is made very believable and sympathetic by Cantys skill. Although there is a lot of heart break the book ends on a lighter note, brimming with the charity of human kind. June also finds complicated love with her real estate agent as she tries to sell her house. The house becomes something she needs to overcome or grow out of, it is the house she had with her now deceased husband. None of these relationships go as planned. I particularly enjoyed his long poetic passages, although he was adept at adjusting his syntax and keeping it fresh. I don’t want to ruin it for anybody but the ending was really satisfying as each of the characters interacted with one. Typically characters don’t know each other and you wonder how they will meet up.
review 2: A very skilled writer, Canty is, and I know that I will reread this novel. It is, in a way, about everything that matters at the core of life, presented by the author with spare and incisive prose. Despite this spare writing it is picturesque, and he has a great deal of empathy for his characters. They are all trying to create new lives, or new directions, for themselves and Canty develops this in a very plausible fashion. less

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