The Flying Troutmans was August's pick for book club, and I got around to reading it two days after our meeting, which is a bummer, because I would have liked to discuss it with the other gals. I wasn't in love with the novel, per se, but I really liked the characters; they seemed so real. Hattie is 28 years old when she flies back to Canada from Paris to take care of her mentally ill older sister's two children, Logan (15) and Thebe (12). While her sister, Min, is in the mental hospital indefinitely, Hattie decides to take the kids to meet their long-absent father in hopes that he will be able to care for them. I really like that the road trip they embark on-- one that takes them through South Dakota all the way to Mexico-- is odd, but not unbelievable. What ensues is a trip that, in many ways, seems to happen exactly as it might in real life. There are a couple odd people they meet, a few sad experiences, but ultimately, this is a family who is going through the typical turmoil that any family in transition might face. Although the one-liners are just too damn good to be anything but fiction, of course. Anyway, the ending leaves a few questions, but they seem reasonable ones: what will happen to Min? Who will ultimately care for the kids? Will Hattie be able to keep everyone together and find happiness for herself as well? I can only hope so.
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