New Lenox Public Library Book Review: 'Canada'

Reviewer Marjorie Ann delves into Richard Ford's fiction story, "Canada." 

"First, I'll tell about the robbery our parents committed. Then about the murders, which happened later."  The first sentence of Ford’s fictional memoir of 15 year old Dell Parsons is a grabber.  The lives of Dell and his twin sister Berner suddenly are in turmoil when their parents are arrested and the children run away from Montana to avoid the juvenile authorities. They become dependent on the goodness and direction of strangers.  Dell relates his story many years later based on his recollections and his mother’s journal. The author is interested in the way unexpected events can permanently change a person’s direction in life.