Claire Cameron's new novel

Title: The Line Painter
Author: Claire Cameron
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Soft cover, 232 pages, 17.95 Canadian
ISBN-10: 0-00-200835-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-00-200835-8

Review:
It is hard to believe that the events of 48 hours can change the course of a person’s life, but sometimes the chain of events are so momentous, that just that happens. This is a very dark story about guilt and responsibility, the need to forget and the inability to do so, fear, uncertainty, destiny and acceptance.

Carrie is a young woman floating through life. Living and working in Toronto, she is unable to commit to her boyfriend, but also unable to end the relationship. Her boyfriend dies in tragic circumstances and Carrie is unable to cope. Battling depression and guilt she decides to take a road trip to clear her head and re-gain some perspective. That is, after all, what road trips are for, aren’t they? In reality Carrie is unable to deal with her complicity in the death of her boyfriend and is running away, trying to escape. She quits her job, telling no one, takes her boyfriends’ less-than-reliable vehicle and heads west. Very much a product of city living, Carrie is unprepared for the totally different experience that Canada’s near north is. North of Lake Superior and in the middle of nowhere, her car breaks down. Her cell phone can’t find a signal and there is no traffic, homes or villages nearby. She is un-nerved by the wide open spaces, the total darkness, the huge sky spotted with millions of stars, and the sounds of nature. She is further un-nerved when a large truck pulls up and her would-be hero, Frank Ferrini, sets off warning alarms in her street-wise person.. With no other option available, she accepts a ride to Hearst. She soon finds out Frank is a man with a dark past himself, anger and control issues, a drinking problem and a very short-fuse. So begins Carries’ two-day relationship with Frank and the beginning of the end of her trip out west.

The events which have led to Carrie McDonald being in Northern Ontario at this period of time are revealed through her memories and the flashes of phone messages that she does not receive until her crisis is resolved. The road going in both directions, west and back home become Carrie’s wake-up call. After her experiences with Frank and in Hearst, she continues west, but soon realizes the road is not taking her anywhere. Carrie realizes that she can’t escape who she is and what she has done; it goes with her wherever she goes. To really get past her problems she must turn around and face them

Pros:
Makes you really consider the far-reaching consequences of poor decisions and the role of destiny in our lives. Without the car breaking down and the resultant experiences, would Carrie have continued running?

Cons:
I’m left wondering what has happened to Frank, after the take-down on the highway, and how Carrie deals with her family and friends on her return.

The Bottom Line: An amazing story about a series of events that changes a person’s life.

Recommended: Yes

Claire Cameron’s blog: www.claire-cameron.com
Publishing House: www.harpercollins.com