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84th out of 141 books
—
55 voters
The Ravine
One morning in Don Mills, Phil and his brother Jay agree to let their friend Norman Kitchen tag along on an adventure down into a ravine — and what happens there at the hands of two pitiless teenagers changes all their lives forever. Years later the horrifying details are still unclear, smothered in layers of deliberate forgetting. Phil doesn’t even remember the names: Ted...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
March 11th 2008
by Random House Canada
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Despite the unattractive cover art, Paul Quarrington's The Ravine is a charming and quick read for those who enjoy unconventional narrative formats. Phil McQuigge, our main protagonist and narrator, tells the story of his life through a combination of tell-all novel excerpts, conversations turned television screenplay and snippets of diary-like explanations. The novel opens with a transcription of a call to a suicide helpline, with no context to frame it besides the dialogue itself. The Ravine i...more
I enjoyed this book which is sad but, at the same time, very funny. It's the story of Phil McQuigge who, having thoroughly messed up his life, is trying to reflect back on it and come to some sort of understanding of how it all went wrong. Pivotal to his retrospection is an incident that occurred in his childhood when he, his brother, and a friend were attacked by two older boys.
Then book tends to go back and forth in time and between a large variety of characters. Scenes and language are also '...more
Then book tends to go back and forth in time and between a large variety of characters. Scenes and language are also '...more
This is my first Paul Quarrington book, but after reading it, I will definitely read more of his work. His writing reminds me of Douglas Coupland, only with a slightly more Ontario flair. As a resident of Thunder Bay, I smiled at the few scenes set there. It's nice reading fiction by Canadian authors set in Canada.
The last book that I read, Mistress of the Sun, had a great beginning but a lacklustre ending. The Ravine is the opposite: I wasn't too impressed by the beginning, but by the time I re...more
The last book that I read, Mistress of the Sun, had a great beginning but a lacklustre ending. The Ravine is the opposite: I wasn't too impressed by the beginning, but by the time I re...more
Paul Quarrington continues to be one of my favorite writers. The fact that he is Canadian only increases the bliss.
His description is delightful with language such as, "The hair was sandy and tired and would have been happier on the head of a bank manager. It lay on top of his head like tangled bedsheets, and no doubt contributed heavily to his air of bitterness. Which was obvious."
Quarrington is funny even at the most sensitive moments and slaps you in the face when you are not expecting.
Try an...more
His description is delightful with language such as, "The hair was sandy and tired and would have been happier on the head of a bank manager. It lay on top of his head like tangled bedsheets, and no doubt contributed heavily to his air of bitterness. Which was obvious."
Quarrington is funny even at the most sensitive moments and slaps you in the face when you are not expecting.
Try an...more
I wasn't sure Quarrington's meta style of narrative, the writing about writing and self-awareness of the storyteller. But it did. It was distancing (which the narrator himself admits that he's trying to get from his own life) but I still enjoyed the book. I kept on reading. That's a testament to Quarrington's skill as a writer. Not for everyone, but definitely a good read.
A well known Canadian author - this book set in Toronto about a man's bad childhood experience in a Toronto ravine ( came a bit close to home)
Quarrington has an interesting style of writing - sometimes you ahve to guess between the lines, but it was quite a good read.
Quarrington has an interesting style of writing - sometimes you ahve to guess between the lines, but it was quite a good read.
I'll admit I rolled my eyes a little when I discovered The Ravine is a "novel within a novel." I thought, Ugh, this has been DONE--to death. But Paul Quarrington ensures that Phil McQuigge's voice is sound and distinct, and I enjoyed reading his "novel", especially because it is made clear that his perspective is flawed. For me, that is what made the book interesting, as it allowed me to imagine the "truth" rather than knowing it outright.
However, the book slowed down for me as I discovered the...more
However, the book slowed down for me as I discovered the...more
There are moments, including the ending, that are terribly clunky and I think the central conciete is lame, but Quarrington is funny and finally, even though the protagonist us a complete putz, he is endearing. Plus I was never bored, and I looked for opportunities to pick it up.
Didn't enjoy this book that deals with adults trying to come to terms with an episode of abuse that took place long ago in their neighbourhood ravine.
Probably only a 3.5 - the ground has been covered before - but I'd forgotten how funny he is. Good old Canadian content doesn't hurt either.
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not an overly long novel, the author tells the tale he sets out to tell without dragging it out. it's sad and funny and the characters are hapless and at times careless with their lives, but they are likeable and i find myself rooting for each of them. and i loved the ending. simple and in keeping with the story - it feels true.
endings seem difficult for story tellers, so i really appreciate the ones that feel right - the way this one feels right
endings seem difficult for story tellers, so i really appreciate the ones that feel right - the way this one feels right
LOVE the way this man writes...real...yet not...not my usual novel...not my usual characters...but interesting because of that perhaps?
I am putting todays date as the date I finished reading this book. To be honest I tried and TRIED to get through it but was completely uninterested in it and finally gave up. I think this is the only book I have not completed in the last 6 years at LEAST. I RARELY do not finish a book even if I don't like it.
Sorry... I couldn't even force myself through this one.
Sorry... I couldn't even force myself through this one.
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Paul Quarrington was a novelist and musician, an award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker, and an acclaimed non-fiction writer. His last novel The Ravine was published in March 2008. His previous novel Galveston was nominated for the Giller; Whale Music won the Governor General’s Award for Fiction. Quarrington won the Stephen Leacock Medal for King Leary, a title that also won the 2008 Canada Reads c...more
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“The man behind the check-in counter gives the impression that he has just axe-murdered the motel's owner (and family, and family pet) and is going through these procedures of hostelry so as not to arouse suspicion.”
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“Like all of my important memories, it has a potency that has influenced the pocket of time that holds it, so I can remember that particular Saturday afternoon, even though in many ways it was no different from any other. I can remember, for example, what van der Glick was wearing as she stepped out of the elevator, which was a dress covered with clownish polka dots. Rainie would make these heartbreaking stabs at femininity; indeed, she still does. It's not that she doesn't possess a woman's body now, and didn't posses a girl's body then. But clothes never seemed to fit her correctly, and the more girlish they were, the worse they would hang.”
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2 people liked it
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May 02, 2009 04:52pm