Garbo Laughs [Hardcover]

We are invited to share the daily life of Harriet's family and neighbours - through the better part of a year that included the ice storm of 1998. The story takes place in a close-knit neighbourhood in Ottawa. Hay sets the scene of the cozy community in which every body knows everybody and they all interact frequently. Emotions, concealed or expressed, flow between the various characters. The arrival of aunt Leah, widow of a Hollywood screenwriter, and her stepson Jack bring upheaval to the daily routines. Some relate better to them than others and relationships become more complicated. Leah is an astute observer of people and knows how to rub salt into the proverbial emotional wounds. Harriet's problems with the goings on are aggravated by her inability to sleep: she watches the old movies over and over again and at all hours of day or night - no wonder she has sleeping problems! Her ongoing musings on her life, her relationships and her surroundings are shared in frequent, un-mailed letters to real-life movie critic, Pauline Kael.

For movie expert Kenny, the teenage son of Harriet and Lew, actors and their abilities are more important than real life concerns. His probing mind is focused on the silver screen. In the meantime, his problems in school can only be pushed aside for so long...

Hay has a unique talent to make this family and her surroundings breathe; she brings each character into his or her own. Her portrait of the place, the time and - of course - the weather - are gems in descriptive power. Let's not ignore that there is a story line to follow, endearing and captivating, which flows effortlessly carrying the main characters along. Hay has created a wonderful story that deserves to be read, and not only by classic movie aficionados.

Harriet's son Kenny keeps a "gangster's outfit" available for watching movies and visiting his mother's friends. He seems to have no friends of his own. His fascination with movies easily matches that of his mother. He has firm opinions on actors, portrayals, nuances in the making of the videos they watch together. Sister Jane hovers at the edge of the film fanatics, but is still caught up in their debates. Lew Gold, Harriet's beleaguered husband, withdraws from the film buffs when their intensity surpasses his patience. How far will his disenchantment take him? Perhaps as far as their neighbour "luscious Dinah Bloom"?

Harriet's relations with Dinah, as well as with her other neighbours, keeps in delicate balance throughout the story. Harriet's writing and film watching have become the focus of a life easily intruded upon. The greatest intrusion comes in the form of her aunt Leah and that widower's stepson Jack. Leah, a badly disguised character in Harriet's book, arrives for a visit - one likely to be extended. She harbours resentment over the book, a feeling built on previous bumpy relations with Harriet. It's a contest of wills, Leah's overbearing manner only slightly modified by being on Harriet's turf. Hay portrays these persona with wit and skill. None are false nor overdrawn. They seem to have taken over the story with Hay simply recording events. Perusing her portrayal of the people and events draws the reader into intimate association with them all.

Hay's writing skill borders on a prose version of Mozart. Like his sonatas, her words are carefully chosen and placed. None are out of order. There are no lapses to leave the reader wondering what she meant. Every sentence has a place in the story leading the reader confidently along the narrative. This isn't cold, clinical precision. Her character building is dynamic - they are alive, bickering, plotting, evaluating. Stillness isn't part of the story, even when the character is alone. In Ottawa, with river, canal, parks and spreads of forest, solitude should come easy. In Hay's hands, this little city is fraught with local intensities.

Hay is fascinated with weather. Who can blame her, living in Ottawa? Having previously examined Saskatchewan drought and New York humidity, she strives here to impart the chaos of the Great Ice Storm of 1998. She captures the permanent bending of trees, the treacherous sidewalks, the quiet dictated by impassable streets, with vivid eloquence. If you weren't there, trust in how skillfully she imparts the daily experiences and long-term effects. She shows how lasting such an event can be on lives. Recovery is hesitant, unpredictable and presenting fresh difficulties. Hay weaves all this in to a poignant finale, all the threads coming together effortlessly. A brilliant book, worthy of attention. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]