Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.11.1991, Side 9

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 1. nóvember1991 • 9
What’s Lo&ic.&ot.Jp*,.do with it?
by Hulda Karen Daníelsdóttlr
When Kieran accuses Sidonie, the
main character of of Martha Brooks’
newbook Two Moons in August, ofnot
being logical, she responds to the young
man by saying: “Lots of things aren’t. If
they were, we’d all be really interested
in mathematics. Billions of people
would suddenly be rushing around try-
Correction
In our last issue we published a letter
to the editor under the title: Everseen a
UFO? The name and address of the
letter writer unfortunately did not get
printed. We have no idea how this hap-
pened. Perhaps it was a computer error
or, who knows, it may have been the
meddling of extraterrestrial beings. Be-
sides, isn’t it about time we Icelanders
shifted blame from the huldufólk, who
have bom the bmnt of all sorts of er-
rors, missing objects and other mis-
takes for far too long?
If you have seen a UFO, please con-
tact: S. Johnson, P.O. Box 382-905
Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3M 3V3
lcelandic content
On page 8, Finnbogi Guðmundsson
writes about Stepahn G. Stephansson’s
poetry. We also continue the article Á
,,Emmigrantahúsinu“ í Ottawa by
Sigurður Ingjaldsson, a farmer and a
fisherman who left his native Iceland
and travelled to Canada in 1887. A
translated synopsis of the article will
appear upon its conclusion.
ing to figure out equations that would
show them why life isn’t usually very
fair.”
In real life, as well as in fiction,
women are repeatedly being accused of
not being logical. By sheer coincidence,
I had just finished reading a novel by
Anne Tyler, when I began reading Two
Moons in August. The main character
in Tyler’s book is also accused of being
illogical, but unfortunately, she is un-
able to come up with as intelligent an
answer as Brooks’ character, Sidonie.
Don’t take me wrong, Martha Brooks’
book is not about feminist issues. It’s
about coming of age, about dealing with
death, love and passion, religion and
even cross cultural relationships. These
themes are intricately woven into a
holistic picture of life as seen by the 16-
year-old Sidonie, who is growing up in
a small lake side community in the
‘50’s.
But the question remains, can life,
with all its oddities, pains andpleasures
be approached logically? The message
of Two Moons in August is, no. Life
can only be understood and diffículties
overcome if people remain honest with
themselves.
When Sidonie and her sister came
home to discover their mother had died,
their father, a physician, wanted to tell
them exactly how it had happened. But
Sidonie didn’t want his stupidfacts, she
just wanted to be held.
Immediately upon hearing about the
death, Sidonie begins actively, and
constructively to grieve for her mother.
Through the grieving process, she dis-
covers a whole range of things, which
cumulate in her re-
alization that life
mustgoon. Shehas
foirnd “a safe kind
of memory”, which
is, in fact, what her
east Indian neigh-
bour suggests she
must do, “to help
tide her over the
rough spots.”
Her sister and
father, ontheother
hand, have a more
difficult time deal-
ing with the loss.
The father works
harder than ever,
and when he asks
Sidonie how she is
doing, he really
doesn’t want to
hear any other an-
swer than the one
she gives him: that
she is fine. When
he comes home
from work late at
night, Sidione describes him looking
“as if he’s just come up for air.”
Martha Brooks writes for young
adults, but Two Moons in August can
certainly be recommended to readers of
all ages. It is a very moving book which
touches on basic human emotions and
needs. Her characters are all well devel-
oped, her style is excellent and through
the use of flashbacks she takes the reader
back to the time when Sidonie felt safe
and protected, and again to the present,
where she is learning to find her way in
a changed world.
In places the
bookis quitefunny,
but all through it,
certain basic, some
would say old fash-
ioned, values are
emphasized. They
are, however, not
presented explicitly
nor in a didactic
manner. These val-
ues center around
the importance of a
secure, warm place
in the home; loving
and loyal relation-
ships between men
and women; the
importance of real-
izing we have
choices in life and
that one of the most
important qualities
of any human be-
ing is the ability
to be honest with
oneself.
Martha Brooks’ Paradise Cafe and
Other Stories was nominated for the
GovemorGeneral’sAwardin 1989 and
recently won honours at the outstand-
ing fiction category of the 25 th Annual
Boston Globe-Hom Book Awards for
excellence in contemporary children’s
literature. Martha Brooks’ Paradise Cafe
and Other Stories and the Chalmers
Award-winning play, Andrew’s Tree,
have captured a devoted young adult
audience, but her fans include many
adults as well.
Gimli Business Directory
TWO MOONS
IN AUGUST
Martha Broaks
Two Moons in August: by Martha Brooks,
157 pp., Groundwood Douglas &
Mclntyre, $14.95

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