The Fearsome Particles by Trevor Cole

McClelland & Stewart 2006

Hardcover, 352 pages

Governor-General's Literary Award nominee

I spotted this on the shelf of my friendly neighbourhood library and picked it up on a whim, although I hadn't heard anything about it. I did the same thing a few years ago with Cole's debut novel, Norman Bray, in the Performance of His Life, and I loved that book - although I must admit I can't remember anything about it now. Anyway, when I saw he had another book on the shelf I decided it was definitely worth a read.

This book is about a Canadian family in crisis. The only son, Kyle, has recently returned from Afghanistan, where he volunteered to serve as a civilian water engineer. He returned home in shame after an "incident" which is not explained to his parents or to us until near the end of the book. His father Gerald is a window screen executive (could there be a more boring sounding job?) and, although he has been successful in his career and, at least outwardly, in his family life, he is incapable of taking any risks in either setting. His wife Vicki is a stager for high-end real estate, and stages her life in a similar way, glossing over all unpleasantness and never going beyond surface-deep. When Kyle returns home, the family is unable to discuss what happened to him and his parents cannot do anything except pretend life is as normal.

Although the subject matter is fairly grim, Cole is a very witty writer and manages to make real life quite hilarious at times; I laughed out loud often while reading. The title of the book is derived from an idea at Gerald's company: with the firm desperate to gain market share, a junior employee comes up with a new and daring idea to make window screens that not only keep out insects, but which are impermeable to even the smallest dangerous particles that float through the air and endanger families. The fact that these screens would also be opaque and block the light and view does not deter Gerald, who for once decides to take a leap of faith in pushing the somewhat ridiculous product forward. The fact that he feels his own family is "under attack" and that his own inability to take risks is at least somewhat to blame is of course at the root of this decision, and "protecting one's family" becomes the key to the marketing campaign.

Although it was somewhat depressing, I did really enjoy this book. Its major downfall, in my opinion, was the "big reveal" of Kyle's experience in Afghanistan. After waiting so long to hear what happened, I found the description quite confusing, and I must admit I'm still not entirely sure what occurred. However, I would still recommend this book, if for no other reason that the writing is really amazing, and the ideas it brought up will stay with me for quite awhile.

I'd give this book three and a half stars, and will keep Trevor Cole on my "to watch" list for the future.

.5