- Paperback: 296 pages
- Publisher: ECW Press (Sep 1 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1770410341
- ISBN-13: 978-1770410343
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 13.7 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 386 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #596,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Quill & Quire
The Carnivore opens with a dramatic description of a flooded intersection in downtown Toronto during the first hours of Hurricane Hazel’s 1954 descent on the city. In this early stage of the storm, no one was taking the weather very seriously – young men swam through the streets with machismo and drunks lobbed beer bottles onto the road to watch them bob along the rising waters. Readers versed in Toronto’s history, however, will know that such nonchalant attitudes did not persist along with the rain. In his grim reimagining of this iconic Toronto event, author Mark Sinnett parallels the storm’s destruction with the breakdown of a couple’s marriage. Ray, a cop, is reluctantly thrust into the spotlight after saving numerous lives during the hurricane, yet he is tortured by a secret love affair and his inability to confess his unseemly deeds. Mary, a nurse who is pregnant with the couple’s first child, revels in her husband’s heroics. As the story unfolds, deceit and betrayal come to the fore. Sinnett employs a back-and-forth storytelling method, moving between the years 1954 and 2004, and alternating between the points of view of the two main characters. Although this seesaw movement should help elevate the novel’s suspense, it feels too deliberate and systematic, and in fact diminishes the tension. For a story containing many key aspects of a blockbuster thriller (massive storm, dirty secrets, and torrid sex), the plot drags significantly, especially in the middle. The character development also frequently falters. One of the book’s most interesting characters, Ray and Mary’s daughter, Jenny, could have been used to further demonstrate the destructive nature of her parents’ relationship, but instead her scenes seem extraneous. The book’s setting is its strongest and most captivating element. Descriptions of various Toronto locations are abundant, providing the reader with a vivid picture of the city and the legendary storm that ravaged it.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
“Weds the pinprick domestic intimacy of Alice Munro with the flop-sweat extra-marital intrigue of James M. Cain.” —Toronto Star
“A cleverly constructed and evocatively written novel.” —Booklist
“Sinnett keeps the pages turning with many twists and turns, while peppering the text with nice turns of phrase . . . . Sinnett's meticulous research captures what the sights, sounds, and smells of 1954 Toronto might have been like . . . . This book is for those who want thoughtful prose and fallible characters with their plot . . . . A reader of any age will find lots of action in The Carnivore on which to gnaw.” —GlobeandMail.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing, Feb 23 2011
By Stasha - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Carnivore: A Novel (Hardcover)
I can see that I am in absolute minority here, but after waiting for weeks for this book at the local library (it is THAT popular!) - I keep asking myself what do people really mean when they say a book is "well written". To me this book was almost painful to read, that's how bland and slow I found the storytelling. The characters were uninteresting and their flaws too obvious, their struggles too common place for all the drama they were intended to portray, the plot was too transparent, it almost felt like author tried to force some mystery onto an obvious story. The description of the hurricane was shallow, main character's dilemmas unconvincing. There wasn't a single exciting metaphor or unique sentence or unexpected dialogue - it was all too plain, nothing worth remembering. In all, I failed to understand what in this book earned the Toronto Book Award. By comparison, Redhill's Consolation (2007 winner) is a much better representative of good writing. But it seems to me this year it was enough to stick some Toronto history in your story in order to win it. Too bad.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sad story of almost-love, April 27 2010
By Andrea Love "nanajlove" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Carnivore: A Novel (Hardcover)
This story is well written, but the subject matter may not be appealing to a vast audience. I had difficulty getting into the plot, and switching between character narratives and times was a bit awkward in some places.This is the story of a marriage built on deception and nourished by mutual hatred. Ray is a cheating, less than forthright detective married to Mary, a disillusioned, cold-hearted nurse. When Ray is declared a hero after a hurricane hits Toronto in the 1950's, Mary begins to see familiar changes in him--frighteningly similar to when he was having an affair. Mary comes very close to infidelity herself, with her obstetrician, but manages to pull herself out of that temptation by her conviction that she must create the life she idolizes with the materials she has been given.
The story line switches back an forth between the events surrounding the hurricane and back to present time, where Ray is dying of emphysema and Mary is once again martyred as she cares for him. She is waiting for him to die so she can enjoy her freedom, and he is hoping to live just a little longer, seeking acceptance. They both loathe each other and blame the other for destroying the life they each had hoped to live. Ray, according to Mary, has never accepted responsibility for the affair, for causing her miscarriage, or for accepting honors for heroism he did not deserve. Ray blames the failure of the marriage on Mary's unreasonably high standards and has spent the majority of his time sneaking things and keeping secrets because he was unable to present Mary with his needs with any hope of her accepting him as he really was.
A sad, sad tale. It certainly speaks of a different generation where divorce was not an option and people learned to live off of hatred and spite.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
5.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating, Feb 24 2010
By L. Brandau - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Carnivore: A Novel (Hardcover)
The Carnivore is a story of love, marriage, and infidelity that begins at the time of the devastating hurricane and subsequent floods that stormed through Toronto in 1954. Ray Townes, a police officer, is in the eyes of the public a hero. Mary Townes, a nurse, takes care of the dying and wounded at St. Joseph's Hospital in the chaotic aftermath of the storm. The depiction of the storm, and especially the chaos in the Emergency Room was very realistic.The book is also a profound look back over the marriage of Ray and Mary, a loving couple whose lives are changed by the events surrounding the storm and Ray's infidelity. Mary knows that something is not right with her husband, and she does not rest until she knows the truth. The story is told from both of their perspectives.
There are so many surprises to the story that just when I thought I knew what was coming next, the story twisted to another direction. The story has an emotional draw as you watch the couple, the mistakes they make, and the secrets that they keep. The Carnivore is an interesting, thoughtful and exciting story written with a historic event angle.
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