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Monkeys |
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 Monkeys bySusan Minot Random House - Vintage Books 159 pages, August 2000 [Reprint edition - First published in 1986] ISBN 0375708367 Reviewed by Zaheera Jiwaji Read our review of Lust and Other Stories There are writers who practice their craft with such precision of language that each sentence is clean and crisp, tidy and uncluttered, with no superfluous word. Each detail, each gesture is described so perfectly that it contains pages of meaning. Susan Minot is such a writer. First published in 1986 to much acclaim, Monkeys is Minot's first novel, recently released as part of Random House's Vintage Contemporaries line. It is the story of Gus and Rosie Vincent and their seven children, told in a series of chapters that could quite easily stand independently as short stories. Minot takes us deeply into the life of this family, describing that which defies description: the unique language of a family, the unspoken promises made, the secrets known but never discussed. We become one of the family; one of the 'monkeys'. We join them during their skating outings, beach vacations and Thanksgiving dinners - perfect imperfect moments strung together, each telling us more about the Vincents, and giving insight into the organic nature of family life. Then Minot brings into this picture a tragedy that threatens to destroy the Vincents. How does a family continue when an integral part is gone? How do children become parents to the adults? Minot cannot answer these questions, but what she shows is that families are the strongest elements of our society, and it is there that life is played out. Though a slim volume, Monkeys will quietly remain with the reader long after the final page. You will return to search for that quirky passage, that heartbreaking sentence - and you will wonder what Minot would see in your family. |
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