Larry's Party

I am buoyant with joy, having just finished Larry's Party by Carol Shields. The book is almost completely responsible for this buoyancy, but the sunshine streaming in the window; the coffee in my hand; and the sudden realization that I love the word buoyant and all its variations--all of these things are helping, too.

So, Larry's Party is a recent acquisition, but Carol Shields is an old favourite of mine. This book is Amelie-like in its exploration of the beauty of triviality, the excitement of mundanity... It's a look at the life of Larry Weller, one average guy from Winnipeg whose passion for mazes turns him into something of a novelty. The book is all about Larry--his life, his work, his wives--but really the entire novel leads up to a final chapter--the description of Larry's dinner party--where a relatively mundane occurance becomes a beautiful end. I'm still too buoyant to give this note any justice, but I would highly recommend this book for just about anybody. There are times when Shield's attempt to write from a man's perspective seems a little off (but really, who am I to judge, not being a man myself) but if you can get over and through that, you're on your way to a wonderful read!