I Finished Canada (Friday Books Re-visited)

My post title sounds funny if you don't know that "Canada" is the name of a book by Richard Ford. I finally finished it today.

I am afraid this book suffered from my time constraints. After I started it, my time was spoken for, and I had to fit the book into tiny time slots. That's not a good way to savor a book. So... I'll always wonder if how I read the book has more to do with me not liking it than the book itself.

I liked the first half, which takes place in the USA. (This is only a coincidence.. it is not to imply that plots in the USA are better than plots in Canada.) The main character is a 15-year-old boy; he lives with his twin sister and somewhat-misfit parents in Great Falls, Montana. Later the boy moves to Canada, not by choice, but he is only 15 and has no say in what happens to him at that point. His life turns a little strange; I was not fond of most of the characters he bumps into in this second half of his life; well - heck - I was not all that fond of characters in his first half, either. I also was not fond of the circumstances he finds himself in. Other people have enjoyed the book, but I can only give it three stars based on my interrupted fashion of reading it. I was glad when it ended. That might tell you something. Or not.

If you like this author, give "Canada" a try and see what you think. You might really enjoy the story line. I would call it clever, quirky, and depressing. Let me know if you rate it better than 3 stars. I'm curious what others think of this book.