The Meeting Point

The Toronto Trilogy #1

by Austin Clarke

First printing. The third novel by this highly acclaimed Barbadian-Canadian author, set among West Indian immigrants in Toronto. Clarke was the winner (among many other awards) of the 1999 W. O. Mitchell literary prize. 250 pp.

Genres: Canada, Read For School

250 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Austin Ardinel Chesterfield Clarke (26 July 1934 - 26 June 2016) was a Canadian novelist, essayist and short story writer who lives in Toronto, Ontario. He has been called "Canada's first multicultural writer".

Clarke had his early education in Barbados and taught at a rural school for three years. In 1955 he moved to Canada to attend the University of Toronto but after two years turned his hand to journalism and broadcasting. He was a reporter in the Ontario communities of Timmins and Kirkland Lake, before joining the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a freelance journalist. He subsequently taught at several American universities, including Yale, Duke and the University of Texas.

In 1973 he was designated cultural attaché at the Barbadian embassy in Washington, DC. He was later General Manager of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation in Barbados (1975-1977).

Returning to Canada, in 1977 he ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the Ontario election. He was writer in residence at Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec and at University of Western Ontario.From 1988 to 1993 he served on the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

Reviews

[Lata]

Austin Clarke features a few domestics and their friends and partners, as they deal with racism of their employers and the people they encounter in Toronto during the 1950s and 1960s. Bernice is the main character, and she works for the Burrmans, a wealthy Jewish family. Bernice feels alternately angry and friendly with Mrs. Burrman, depending on her interactions with her employer. Bernice shares her feelings with her friend Dot. We're also get to hear Dot's husband Boysie talk with his friend Henry.
While actually not that much happens in this book (Bernice's younger sister Estelle comes to visit), the bulk of this book is comprised of the conversations, and monologues of Bernice, Dot and the others. The monologues touch on a number of the frustrations experienced by the characters, and their take on a few of the events happening in the US. Austin Clarke keeps things centred on the persistent small aggressions and humiliations his characters are subjected to, as well as the loneliness of being far from family and home. I found some of the monologues, while hitting interesting and important points, were too frequently really, really long. Another thing was the action abruptly halted at the end. The story clearly wasn't over (there are two other books in this series), and the lack of a graceful exit in this book was jarring.

[Melinda]

Really interesting book (book #1 in trilogy) by Afro Canadian author about racism experienced by West Indians living in Toronto during late 50s and early 60s.

[Niki Rowland]

Way too long for a repetitive plot and endless, unimportant banter

[Tom Gray]

This is the first of a trilogy of books by Austin Clark. This one is focused on the inner experiences of people affected by the a first wave of immigration from teh West Indies to Canada and specifically Toronto in the early 1960s. The novel eschews any focus on broad historical events but describes the life of West Indian domestics and the people that surround them. With teh focus on the inner experience, it describes how these people perceive each and more importantly mis-perceive each other. This is a time of societal change and the people of that time have to adapt to the changes that are going on around them. This change is coupled with existing prejudices such as antisemitism and anti-black racism. The people of that time have internal difficulties adjusting to these changes. They ahve difficulty understanding the true internal beliefs and attitudes that each have with the others. This gives rise to an unstable social situation in which relations can vary quickly between acceptance and hate in quick succession as events unfold.

I think that this is the point of the novel. That it is difficult for a society with existing prejudices to adapt to social change. part of that difficulty is the need for trust to overcome mutual suspicion. This suspicion created by the difficulty in properly perceiving the other's internal attitudes can create a self-fulfilling situation.

[Yvonne Blackwood]

Immigrants leave their tropical homes, expecting a better life in North America, but results can be devastating. An interesting and informative story about the lives some immigrants live in the large city of Toronto in the 1960s, how they are abused by their employers and husbands of employers.

[Kate Davies]

I actually loved this piece from my syllabus. It was eye opening if you can situate yourself into the different characters perspectives. Highly recommend if you’re interested in cultivating a relationship with multiculturalism in Ontario.

[Skyler Mlotek-Marion]

Dark, and slow at first but it definitely picks up and gets a lot better and more twisted.

[megs]

Maybe a *3.5?

[Carol Henry]

The story moved slowly and built anticipation for a climax that never really happened. The characters and the racial unease the immigrants experienced were well painted.

[Alan Haffner]

FWRC.
Set in Toronto, a story of clashes and differences between a rich Jewish family and the hired help.