GOOD TO A FAULT by Marina Endicott (Broadview) 376 pages, $25 paper. Rating: NNNN
Marina Endicott’s good to a Fault was just named winner in the Canada/Caribbean category of the Commonwealth Prize.
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Guilt is a powerful thing. That’s the first principle of this story of a woman who goes too far when she tries to make amends.
Insurance adjuster Clara rams the car of a family in big trouble. Dad’s out of work and the family, including mum Lorraine, three kids and their crabby granny, have been living in the car. With the vehicle now totalled, they’re homeless.
At the hospital, when Lorraine is diagnosed with stage-four cancer and has to remain there, Clara – who’s been living alone with middle-aged disappointment – decides to take the family home with her.
Good To A Fault unfolds quietly, almost like a psychological study. It’s not one of those blistering page turners, but it’s wholly engrossing and the pace allows the characters to deepen slowly. Eldest child Dolly is deeply conflicted, loving to her mother yet enjoying the comfort of her new home. Lorraine is fascinating, debilitated by disease on the one hand yet still able to stand up for herself when she has to.
And as Clara warms to her instant family, the book’s sense of imminent disaster intensifies.
I have a tiny problem with the improbable last images, but other than those moments, Good To A Fault takes a dilemma and wrings a ton of emotional truth out of it.
Good To A Fault now takes a place on the Prize’s shortlist alongside winners in other categories. (For more info on winners go to www.commonwealthfoundation.com/culturediversity/writersprize). The big winner will be announced in May.
