What do you think?
Rate this book
When the Saints
Is it possible to redeem a family name that has been spoken as a curse word for generations?
A decade after being cast off to live with strangers, Tabby Saint returns to Solace River, Nova Scotia, to find her childhood home deserted. She quickly latches on to the lonely tavern-keeper, West, who informs her that her family was run out of town. Tabby heads out to nearby Jubilant to find the fragments of her family: her addict sister, Poppy, and her two young kids; her brothers, Bird and Jackie, one crippled by a vicious attack and the other holding a dangerous grudge against the men responsible; a threadbare version of the bulletproof mother she remembers; and an ailing father, a man so vile he is unworthy of forgiveness even on his deathbed. Irreverent and mouthy as they ever were, the Saints are still a lightning rod for trouble. When a new storm arises, Tabby must choose whether to stay or run back the way she came.
Original, gut-wrenching and incessantly hilarious, When the Saints is the story of a family of outsiders whose redemption might be found in what they longed to escape: each other.
A decade after being cast off to live with strangers, Tabby Saint returns to Solace River, Nova Scotia, to find her childhood home deserted. She quickly latches on to the lonely tavern-keeper, West, who informs her that her family was run out of town. Tabby heads out to nearby Jubilant to find the fragments of her family: her addict sister, Poppy, and her two young kids; her brothers, Bird and Jackie, one crippled by a vicious attack and the other holding a dangerous grudge against the men responsible; a threadbare version of the bulletproof mother she remembers; and an ailing father, a man so vile he is unworthy of forgiveness even on his deathbed. Irreverent and mouthy as they ever were, the Saints are still a lightning rod for trouble. When a new storm arises, Tabby must choose whether to stay or run back the way she came.
Original, gut-wrenching and incessantly hilarious, When the Saints is the story of a family of outsiders whose redemption might be found in what they longed to escape: each other.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 20, 2015
20 people are currently reading
1046 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Mian
3 books27 followersSarah Mian’s debut novel, When the Saints, was published by HarperCollins in 2015. Her award-winning fiction and poetry have appeared in journals such as The New Quarterly, The Antigonish Review and The Vagrant Revue of New Fiction. Her non-fiction has been featured in Flare Magazine and on CBC Radio’s ‘Definitely Not the Opera’ and ‘How To Be.’ Sarah is from Dartmouth, NS and now lives on Nova Scotia’s south shore.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
January 13, 2020
Terrific debut novel. Sarah Mian created warm, flawed, struggling characters that the reader can get behind. Her use of humor softens this hard story and shows the character' resilience & determination.
The Saint family grew up rough, poor, abused, misguided....you name it, they lived it. The father of this group is a broken, hostile, mean man. He scammed everyone, the town distrusted, disliked him &, as an extension, his family.
When Tabby Saint returns to town after years of absence, she finds her family gone. When she finds them, she finds that each has his share of baggage from the past, as she does. This book shows the struggles that a family or person can face when the past is not forgotten, when the past judges their present and future. This is as much about resilience as it is about forgiveness and moving forward.
The Saints will continue to struggle. Baggage is a heavy thing to carry but they are strong. And the future generation will be stronger yet.
The Saint family grew up rough, poor, abused, misguided....you name it, they lived it. The father of this group is a broken, hostile, mean man. He scammed everyone, the town distrusted, disliked him &, as an extension, his family.
When Tabby Saint returns to town after years of absence, she finds her family gone. When she finds them, she finds that each has his share of baggage from the past, as she does. This book shows the struggles that a family or person can face when the past is not forgotten, when the past judges their present and future. This is as much about resilience as it is about forgiveness and moving forward.
The Saints will continue to struggle. Baggage is a heavy thing to carry but they are strong. And the future generation will be stronger yet.
September 21, 2015
The is the September 2015 CBC Book Club read. I am so happy they chose this book because I would never have found it otherwise!
After easing endless books about dysfunctional families (so many set in the Appalachian region...) I was dreading this read - another dysfunctional family-ugh...
Well this book manages to give us a survivor, a strong, brave, SMART, tough, and yet still loving heroine. And the book is hilarious. Really! In an organic way we get humor, sarcasm and wit! This is Mian's debut novel and she is a very insightful, clever writer. She gives us one liner descriptions where another author would take chapters to convey the same vision. Her characters are interesting, multi-dimensional, flawed, and in at least two cases (Tabby and Janis) memorable. There are one liners galore and they all feel authentic.
Cannot wait to see what Mian comes up with next! Definitely a talent to watch! Read this book!
After easing endless books about dysfunctional families (so many set in the Appalachian region...) I was dreading this read - another dysfunctional family-ugh...
Well this book manages to give us a survivor, a strong, brave, SMART, tough, and yet still loving heroine. And the book is hilarious. Really! In an organic way we get humor, sarcasm and wit! This is Mian's debut novel and she is a very insightful, clever writer. She gives us one liner descriptions where another author would take chapters to convey the same vision. Her characters are interesting, multi-dimensional, flawed, and in at least two cases (Tabby and Janis) memorable. There are one liners galore and they all feel authentic.
Cannot wait to see what Mian comes up with next! Definitely a talent to watch! Read this book!
March 9, 2015
There has been only a few books over the years that I wish I could give more than 5 stars to and this is one of them. The writing is excellent and the characters are multidimensional, “full bodied” and very unique. My favourite is Janis, the little niece who is never without her sunglasses. I found myself caring about her, Tabby, West and the others; wanting things to work out for them. The grittiness and humour remind me of Angela’s Ashes. A super satisfying read that made me literally laugh out loud at times. It is both heart wrenching and heart warming by turns but in the end left me smiling and content.
July 20, 2015
If Miriam Toews and Heather O'Neill had a love child in Nova Scotia, she would grow up to be Sarah Mian and write such a flawless novel as this. Music truly is everywhere, even in Solace River. What a wonderful read!
June 13, 2025
Una familia disfuncional, una historia bastante desgarradora pero muy muy muy suavizada debido a que el humor es la herramienta principal a lo largo de la novela.
Te hace ver cuánto pesa el pasado y cómo influye esa carga en tu presente sin dejarte avanzar, pero te enseña que aunque el equipaje sea pesado todo es posible gracias a la fortaleza, el amor y la lealtad.
Mi favorita, Janis, que me enamora, pienso que es el personaje más cautivador.
Un libro lleno de sarcasmo e ingenio que me ha hecho disfrutar de principio a fin.
Te hace ver cuánto pesa el pasado y cómo influye esa carga en tu presente sin dejarte avanzar, pero te enseña que aunque el equipaje sea pesado todo es posible gracias a la fortaleza, el amor y la lealtad.
Mi favorita, Janis, que me enamora, pienso que es el personaje más cautivador.
Un libro lleno de sarcasmo e ingenio que me ha hecho disfrutar de principio a fin.
December 15, 2015
What a fantastic novel from Sarah Mian. Once I started, I could not stop.
The story takes place in Solace River, Nova Scotia but the setting itself does not play a major role in the story. It could have taken place in any small town.
It is about a family who everyone considers bad news losers, but when you get to know them they have an inner strength that helps them overcome the legacy of their father and grandfather. Many reviews have described them as a "dysfunctional family", but what family isn't? The characters are multidimensional, yes they have flaws, but they have grit and determination also, They have incredible love and loyalty. The author manages to convey their strengths and weaknesses with wit, humour and caring. The reader comes to really root for this family's quest to get a fresh start.
The story takes place in Solace River, Nova Scotia but the setting itself does not play a major role in the story. It could have taken place in any small town.
It is about a family who everyone considers bad news losers, but when you get to know them they have an inner strength that helps them overcome the legacy of their father and grandfather. Many reviews have described them as a "dysfunctional family", but what family isn't? The characters are multidimensional, yes they have flaws, but they have grit and determination also, They have incredible love and loyalty. The author manages to convey their strengths and weaknesses with wit, humour and caring. The reader comes to really root for this family's quest to get a fresh start.
June 3, 2025
Pues poca historia, no empieza mal...y dentro del drama que es, te saca alguna sonrisa. Pero llega un momento, que tampoco conduce a ningún sitio. No me ha convencido.
August 4, 2025
La trama me ha recordado muchísimo a una serie que amo: Shameless. Al igual que en ella, aquí también 𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗮 𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮 𝗹𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗮 𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗮, 𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼, 𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼, 𝗹𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗯𝗿𝗲𝘇𝗮 𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗮𝘀. La historia de Tabby engancha desde el principio gracias a su buen ritmo y a la fuerza de sus personajes. La pluma de Sarah Mian me ha gustado mucho: tiene una 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗼́𝗻 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗮, 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮, 𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗮́𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗼 que alivian el dolor que atraviesa toda la historia. Tabby me ha enamorado, con su coraje, su rabia contenida, su forma de sobrevivir y cuidar incluso cuando todo a su alrededor se desmorona.
January 7, 2026
Pero, ¡Qué maravilla de lectura! Un libro divertido y fresco que refleja con crudeza lo prácticamente imposible que es salir del círculo de la pobreza.
El retrato de una familia disfuncional marcada por la violencia física y sexual, el alcoholismo y consumo de drogas, la delincuencia y el abandono muestra todas las aristas de esa lacra que es ser pobre, a la par que el profundo desarraigo que provoca el abandono parental y vivir al margen de la sociedad.
El tono humorístico y cínico de la protagonista aporta un toque liviano a las vivencias absolutamente desgarradoras que en él se narran. Es una protagonista absolutamente entrañable con la que te reirás y llorarás a partes iguales y que te encandilará sin remedio.
El libro tiene un cierto aire a la serie Shameless, aunque en mi opinión Tabby brilla tanto que, hayáis visto la serie o no, os recomiendo encarecidamente que le deis una oportunidad a esta historia.
El retrato de una familia disfuncional marcada por la violencia física y sexual, el alcoholismo y consumo de drogas, la delincuencia y el abandono muestra todas las aristas de esa lacra que es ser pobre, a la par que el profundo desarraigo que provoca el abandono parental y vivir al margen de la sociedad.
El tono humorístico y cínico de la protagonista aporta un toque liviano a las vivencias absolutamente desgarradoras que en él se narran. Es una protagonista absolutamente entrañable con la que te reirás y llorarás a partes iguales y que te encandilará sin remedio.
El libro tiene un cierto aire a la serie Shameless, aunque en mi opinión Tabby brilla tanto que, hayáis visto la serie o no, os recomiendo encarecidamente que le deis una oportunidad a esta historia.
January 30, 2020
A super quirky story about Tabitha Saint who returns after a decade away to find that her family has been run out of town by the folks of Solace Nova Scotia. Taking refuge with the local bar owner she goes in search of them in nearby Jubilant and finds an ailing father who has conned almost everyone back home out of money and a cast of other feuding family members with such crazy problems that whatever you are dealing with will seem like cake.
Read for Retired Bookworms group. 4 stars
Read for Retired Bookworms group. 4 stars
November 3, 2025
¡Pasa a ser de mis libros favoritos! Lectura muy amena. Si has visto Shameless y te ha gustado desde luego este libro te va a encantar también.
Ojalá hubieran en el mundo muchas más Tabbys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ojalá hubieran en el mundo muchas más Tabbys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 12, 2016
More like 3.5 stars, but I'll round up. In short, I found this a quick, fun read, and wonder if the book was wrongly marketed as 'gritty' and 'brutal.' Yes, there are those elements - abuse, rape, drugs, kidnapping - and maybe it's just me, but everything is viewed through such a warped lens - Tabby Saint's "been there, done that, you can't hurt me (much)" narrative and her shambles of a family - that I see the book in a tongue-in-cheek, almost satirical light - three parts comedy, one part drama. Mian surely knows the books that have come before this and the satirical element would be, of course, on the usual Atlantic Canadian miseries. Overall it's well constructed, though a little contrived at the end. It's quite well written, with excellent dialogue and character interaction (especially with children). Maybe it's sincere. Maybe I'm just weird. It made me laugh.
February 12, 2015
This is the story about that family that everyone hates in the town, the girl in the classroom with the tangled unbrushed hair, the boy who never brings a lunch and falls asleep on the desk, the father that drinks and beats his wife. Somehow Sarah Mian makes youwonder about those dysfunctional families you've come across in your life, she makes you want to root for them. The story is tender and tough and you find yourself laughing when you don't really think you should.
Read
June 4, 2018Compelling story and characters with quick-witted and engaging dialogue and genuine laughs, When the Saints' story shows the cycle of rural poverty, the seemingly psychotic nature of its ghosts, the danger of vendetta culture, and how 'bad' families are often people mired in this pattern, haunted by their fathers' mistakes and the ostracization of society's 'lessers.'
July 2, 2025
Un libro que te engancha. Hay situaciones en la vida de los Saint que parecen absurdas pero necesitas saber más y cuesta dejar de leer. Constantemente piensas.. y ahora qué pasará?
Tabby es simplemente genial.
P.D. Pondria más cosas pero serían Spoilers 🩷
Tabby es simplemente genial.
P.D. Pondria más cosas pero serían Spoilers 🩷
August 4, 2015
Sarah Mian’s debut novel When the Saints is set in two Nova Scotia villages, Solace River and Jubilant. But there’s no jubilance in Jubilant, nor much solace in Solace River. At least, not at first.
Stripped down, When the Saints is about survival and belonging, even if that entails belonging with those we’ve tried to survive from, or spent most of our lives trying to escape from.
The greatness in this book—for me at least—lies in its characters. Protagonist Tabatha (Tabby) Saint is someone you want to cheer for. The adults, for the most part, are as fucked up as anyone you know, and yet we want them to at least be okay, except maybe the odd one, like the protagonist’s father, an abusive slime ball of a small-town petty criminal. Yet Mian manages to make even that seemingly unredeemable waste of human space, human beyond all of his inhumaneness.
Full stop.
It is, however without a doubt, 5-year-old Janis Saint who brings it home! From the second she screeches onto the page, it is Janis who became my shining beacon—the one I truly want to believe has a chance to survive, not quite but almost relatively unscathed.
And, btw, best of luck to the sad piece of shit who tries to crush her spirit.
As for the others: things may seem okay on the surface—making the end of the novel less likely to send readers looking for the nearest cliff to jump off—but I don’t, not even for a second, believe it will last.
As humour goes, Mian has the kind of sarcastic writing chops that made me laugh, at times very uncomfortably, but in a couple of specific scenes in the narrative, I felt it simplified and undercut the emotional power of a subject matter that is anything but simple. It is the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars. In every other way, I loved this book.
The truth is that childhood, like history, is immortal. Their issues, their traumas and their memories, including their unconscious memories, will dog the Saints of Solace River, presumably long after we read that last page.
To whom would I recommend this novel?
If you have ever disparaged or looked down on someone because they looked “wrong”, or lived on welfare, or didn’t know the difference between decent and indecent, then I highly recommend this novel. It might be just the novel that will open your eyes to the extraordinary barriers some children inherit.
If, on the other hand, you are someone who has ever felt judged while you were trying to scramble over those barriers, then I highly recommend this novel.
In other words, if you are human, I highly recommend this novel.
Stripped down, When the Saints is about survival and belonging, even if that entails belonging with those we’ve tried to survive from, or spent most of our lives trying to escape from.
The greatness in this book—for me at least—lies in its characters. Protagonist Tabatha (Tabby) Saint is someone you want to cheer for. The adults, for the most part, are as fucked up as anyone you know, and yet we want them to at least be okay, except maybe the odd one, like the protagonist’s father, an abusive slime ball of a small-town petty criminal. Yet Mian manages to make even that seemingly unredeemable waste of human space, human beyond all of his inhumaneness.
Full stop.
It is, however without a doubt, 5-year-old Janis Saint who brings it home! From the second she screeches onto the page, it is Janis who became my shining beacon—the one I truly want to believe has a chance to survive, not quite but almost relatively unscathed.
And, btw, best of luck to the sad piece of shit who tries to crush her spirit.
As for the others: things may seem okay on the surface—making the end of the novel less likely to send readers looking for the nearest cliff to jump off—but I don’t, not even for a second, believe it will last.
As humour goes, Mian has the kind of sarcastic writing chops that made me laugh, at times very uncomfortably, but in a couple of specific scenes in the narrative, I felt it simplified and undercut the emotional power of a subject matter that is anything but simple. It is the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars. In every other way, I loved this book.
The truth is that childhood, like history, is immortal. Their issues, their traumas and their memories, including their unconscious memories, will dog the Saints of Solace River, presumably long after we read that last page.
To whom would I recommend this novel?
If you have ever disparaged or looked down on someone because they looked “wrong”, or lived on welfare, or didn’t know the difference between decent and indecent, then I highly recommend this novel. It might be just the novel that will open your eyes to the extraordinary barriers some children inherit.
If, on the other hand, you are someone who has ever felt judged while you were trying to scramble over those barriers, then I highly recommend this novel.
In other words, if you are human, I highly recommend this novel.
February 2, 2015
When Tabby was a teen, she was sent off to live with another family who ended up putting her in a home for juvenile delinquents. Tabby has always done what she has to do to survive. Ten years later, Tabby returns home to find that her family has moved on and she finds them in a rundown trailer in another town. She hooks up with West, who owns a tavern, who takes her in.
Tabby discovers that sister, Poppy, is a drug-addicted mother of two and has been missing for five weeks. Her brother, Bird, had been beaten up so severely that he's in a wheelchair and doesn't really know what's going on. Her brother, Jackie, is living with Jewell, who is pregnant and ready to give birth soon. Jackie has three other children with three different women. Their father is dying in the hospital and it's because of him that the family is hated. Their mother is addicted to her GameBoy.
This is the debut book by Sarah Mian and I enjoyed it as it was a quirky story. I liked the writing style ... it was funny and sarcastic. I'm originally from Nova Scotia, where this story takes place, and I could relate to the people and the language. As a head's up, there is swearing.
I liked the characters ... they were all unique in their own unique ways. Tabby is too smart for her own good but found a way to use it to her advantage. Jackie is rough and tough but likeable. West is supportive and accepting of Tabby but has a decision to make when his ex-wife comes back to town.
I'd recommend this book as it was an entertaining story.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2015/02...
Tabby discovers that sister, Poppy, is a drug-addicted mother of two and has been missing for five weeks. Her brother, Bird, had been beaten up so severely that he's in a wheelchair and doesn't really know what's going on. Her brother, Jackie, is living with Jewell, who is pregnant and ready to give birth soon. Jackie has three other children with three different women. Their father is dying in the hospital and it's because of him that the family is hated. Their mother is addicted to her GameBoy.
This is the debut book by Sarah Mian and I enjoyed it as it was a quirky story. I liked the writing style ... it was funny and sarcastic. I'm originally from Nova Scotia, where this story takes place, and I could relate to the people and the language. As a head's up, there is swearing.
I liked the characters ... they were all unique in their own unique ways. Tabby is too smart for her own good but found a way to use it to her advantage. Jackie is rough and tough but likeable. West is supportive and accepting of Tabby but has a decision to make when his ex-wife comes back to town.
I'd recommend this book as it was an entertaining story.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2015/02...
September 14, 2015
I loved this book until the last chapter. Sigh. It went from Trailer Park Boys to The Brady Bunch...
September 3, 2023
Picked this book off a "Canadian Reads" table at the library knowing nothing about it. Apparently it's Sarah Mian's first book and I thought it was really good. Really easy to get through. It's not a book I would typically reach out for (ie. gritty, lots of swearing, sad/dysfunctional family), but I was pleased that there was some resolution in the end and that the family found a way to start a new life when they had given up all hope. The author could have easily added another tragedy, but instead gave them a happy ending of sorts, and closure. In that way it made the ending unpredictable and I love that!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2026
Me ha gustado mucho más el libro de que lo me esperaba. Pensaba que sería muy duro de leer, intenso y que querría dejarlo constantemente, ya que la premisa que se presenta, la historia de vida de nuestra protagonista es solitaria y cruel. Pero no, es un libro lleno de esperanza, y de amor que supera al dolor. Lo he disfrutado mucho
November 7, 2018
Sad, funny and a satisfying ending. This book took me by surprise and I loved every bit of it!
September 24, 2025
Sarah Mian consigue retratar con crudeza la vida de una familia desestructurada, utilizando el humor e intercalando escenas felices de forma inesperada.
“Un recordatorio de que la ternura, como mala hierba, siempre brota en todas partes.”
Traducción de Julia Viejo.
“Un recordatorio de que la ternura, como mala hierba, siempre brota en todas partes.”
Traducción de Julia Viejo.
July 30, 2025
Una lectura ligera, tierna, triste pero esperanzadora. Realmente Tabby no es ninguna perdedora y nos enseña que donde naces no te define y que no hay que rendirse con la familia 🫰🏼
December 10, 2017
I found this book thoughtful & funny, and treated hard topics with respect. I particularly enjoyed Janis, what a character. Highly recommend.
May 27, 2025
Qué locura de familia, de bonito y de todo.
January 22, 2026
Nota: 4 sobre 5
Premisa:
Tabby no tuvo más remedio que aprender a sobrevivir a lo largo de su infancia y adolescencia y, ahora, tras diez años fuera de su hogar, regresa para reencontrarse con una familia aún más desestructurada de la que dejó en aquel momento. Lo que quizá no se esperaba es el papel tan crucial que tendrá en el devenir de los acontecimientos.
Opinión:
¿Qué tendrán algunas portadas que se convierten en necesidad desde el primer momento en que tu mirada es capturada por su embrujo? Lo más lógico es pensar que el libro se vino conmigo tras ese primer flechazo, pero por alguna extraña razón, el destino -o mejor dicho, mi amigo Rubén- quiso que llegase a mis manos a través de un regalo. Imaginad mi sonrisa al reencontrarme con la cubierta después de romper el envoltorio.
Tras leer unas pocas páginas, me sentí dentro de la serie Shameless, que en mi imaginario se corresponde con la versión británica, que es la que seguí y disfruté. No puedo evitar dejar a un lado el símil ya que existen tantas similitudes que las imágenes acuden de forma instantánea a la mente si ya han sido fijadas previamente en la memoria. Un contexto desestructurado, caótico y, en casi todos los momentos, nocivo, que establece las reglas del juego.
Mian sabe cómo administrar el ritmo narrativo, poniéndolo al servicio de la presentación de los personajes y del contexto de forma paulatina, permitiéndonos experimentar la evolución de las percepciones e inferencias de Tabby al encontrarse con ellos y redescubrirlos. Con toques de humor ácido y resignación dejada atrás, te empapas de sus costumbres, de sus carencias, de sus destrozos, de ese entorno devastado por los estragos de la pobreza y las drogas, y entiendes mejor el interior tan luminoso y dañado que Tabby oculta con su fachada distante.
A medida que se desarrolla la trama, se generan nudos narrativos que incrementan el interés de forma exponencial. Y es que, gracias a esa cocción a fuego lento, el vínculo se ha fortalecido más de lo que cabría esperar, y te sorprendes a ti mismo prolongando el tiempo de lectura, fiel signo de que el hechizo se ha completado del todo. Un final que, aunque no fuese trepidante, adquiere similitudes sorprendentes.
Y, a pesar de todo el drama y miseria, de las condiciones nefastas y el fatalismo que tiñe ciertos fragmentos de la historia, son el humor, la fortaleza y el amor los factores que me han resultado más relevantes en la lectura. Qué satisfactorio es comprobar que el círculo se cierra y que ha merecido enormemente la pena.
Premisa:
Tabby no tuvo más remedio que aprender a sobrevivir a lo largo de su infancia y adolescencia y, ahora, tras diez años fuera de su hogar, regresa para reencontrarse con una familia aún más desestructurada de la que dejó en aquel momento. Lo que quizá no se esperaba es el papel tan crucial que tendrá en el devenir de los acontecimientos.
Opinión:
¿Qué tendrán algunas portadas que se convierten en necesidad desde el primer momento en que tu mirada es capturada por su embrujo? Lo más lógico es pensar que el libro se vino conmigo tras ese primer flechazo, pero por alguna extraña razón, el destino -o mejor dicho, mi amigo Rubén- quiso que llegase a mis manos a través de un regalo. Imaginad mi sonrisa al reencontrarme con la cubierta después de romper el envoltorio.
Tras leer unas pocas páginas, me sentí dentro de la serie Shameless, que en mi imaginario se corresponde con la versión británica, que es la que seguí y disfruté. No puedo evitar dejar a un lado el símil ya que existen tantas similitudes que las imágenes acuden de forma instantánea a la mente si ya han sido fijadas previamente en la memoria. Un contexto desestructurado, caótico y, en casi todos los momentos, nocivo, que establece las reglas del juego.
Mian sabe cómo administrar el ritmo narrativo, poniéndolo al servicio de la presentación de los personajes y del contexto de forma paulatina, permitiéndonos experimentar la evolución de las percepciones e inferencias de Tabby al encontrarse con ellos y redescubrirlos. Con toques de humor ácido y resignación dejada atrás, te empapas de sus costumbres, de sus carencias, de sus destrozos, de ese entorno devastado por los estragos de la pobreza y las drogas, y entiendes mejor el interior tan luminoso y dañado que Tabby oculta con su fachada distante.
A medida que se desarrolla la trama, se generan nudos narrativos que incrementan el interés de forma exponencial. Y es que, gracias a esa cocción a fuego lento, el vínculo se ha fortalecido más de lo que cabría esperar, y te sorprendes a ti mismo prolongando el tiempo de lectura, fiel signo de que el hechizo se ha completado del todo. Un final que, aunque no fuese trepidante, adquiere similitudes sorprendentes.
Y, a pesar de todo el drama y miseria, de las condiciones nefastas y el fatalismo que tiñe ciertos fragmentos de la historia, son el humor, la fortaleza y el amor los factores que me han resultado más relevantes en la lectura. Qué satisfactorio es comprobar que el círculo se cierra y que ha merecido enormemente la pena.
October 19, 2025
3,5/5 ⭐
«Siempre me pregunté cómo sería criarse en una familia normal, de esas que ven películas juntos y son capaces de aguantar una partida de algún juego de mesa sin que nadie estampe a otro jugador contra la pared».
«Lo miro y pienso que llevo tantos años cabreada por no tener una familia que me cuide que nunca se me había ocurrido que yo también me estaba librando de cuidar de ellos».
✍🏻 ¿Se puede huir de la familia, del entorno en el que te crías o de tu apellido? Al parecer no, y Tabby lo sabe bien. No puede escapar de su pasado, de la forma en la que fue mirada, educada o herida; su historia es la de alguien que carga con una familia que no supo hacerlo bien, pero que aun así intenta hacer las cosas lo mejor que puede.
«Tabby, no eres ninguna perdedora» habla con crudeza de lo que cuesta romper patrones, de las segundas oportunidades, de perdonar —o no hacerlo— y de aprender a cuidar de una misma y de los demás cuando nadie te enseñó cómo hacerlo. A pesar de las risas y la acidez de la narración, la cual me ha gustado mucho, me ha removido por dentro, por la temática y porque no paraba de pensar en la idea de que A VECES lo que más daño nos hace también es lo que más nos define (y no es justo). 💔
Un 10 para Tabby, que no es ninguna perdedora. Creo que lo ha hecho lo mejor posible, y eso es mucho. 🫂
posdata: hay herencias que deberían cortarse de raíz.
«Siempre me pregunté cómo sería criarse en una familia normal, de esas que ven películas juntos y son capaces de aguantar una partida de algún juego de mesa sin que nadie estampe a otro jugador contra la pared».
«Lo miro y pienso que llevo tantos años cabreada por no tener una familia que me cuide que nunca se me había ocurrido que yo también me estaba librando de cuidar de ellos».
✍🏻 ¿Se puede huir de la familia, del entorno en el que te crías o de tu apellido? Al parecer no, y Tabby lo sabe bien. No puede escapar de su pasado, de la forma en la que fue mirada, educada o herida; su historia es la de alguien que carga con una familia que no supo hacerlo bien, pero que aun así intenta hacer las cosas lo mejor que puede.
«Tabby, no eres ninguna perdedora» habla con crudeza de lo que cuesta romper patrones, de las segundas oportunidades, de perdonar —o no hacerlo— y de aprender a cuidar de una misma y de los demás cuando nadie te enseñó cómo hacerlo. A pesar de las risas y la acidez de la narración, la cual me ha gustado mucho, me ha removido por dentro, por la temática y porque no paraba de pensar en la idea de que A VECES lo que más daño nos hace también es lo que más nos define (y no es justo). 💔
Un 10 para Tabby, que no es ninguna perdedora. Creo que lo ha hecho lo mejor posible, y eso es mucho. 🫂
posdata: hay herencias que deberían cortarse de raíz.
December 3, 2019
This kind of reminded me of David Adams Richards... it was funny and bleak and hopeful all at once. A great cast of characters and a strong author voice made this a very good read.
April 29, 2015
Funny and heart breaking - and not the usual tourist picture of bucolic Nova Scotia. The Saints, probably the most ironically named family in literature, are an extreme example of how violence and dysfunction descend through the practice of generations, cutting a wide swath of destruction through families and communities - until one person makes herculean efforts to effect a change. Tabby Saint, part exile/part prodigal, returns to Solace River, a fictional community somewhere on the Fundy shore, in search of family that hurt her and haunts her. Equipped with a glib tongue, a keen gift of observation, the experience of reform school and the school of the street, she confronts the problems of a family now exiled from Solace and existing in (the far from) Jubilant River. The characters are brilliantly sketched, the dialogue spot-on, and the plot action-filled - and all three are intentionally over-the-top in this everyman fable of redemption.
September 20, 2015
All in all, a good book, but way too quick and predictable of an ending for me. Of course the "bad" family would get a chance at redemption. Of course West and Tabby would ride off into the sunset. What made me rate this book in it's entirety at a 3.5 was the last few chapters. Swimmer's kidnapping, how it was handled, how he just came back and no one asked any questions was just way too nonchalant for me and completely unbelievable. I have no background in criminal justice, but really this is how something as major as a 3 year old child getting kidnapped is handled by law enforcement? I know this is a work of fiction, but even works of fiction have to have some semblance of realism and during the last few chapters the events and how they unfolded left me skeptical as to if things could really be that easy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews