Polar Vortex By Shani Mootoo

Update, September 25, 2020:

Shani Mootoo's 5th novel shows no signs of flagging power as she propels through the fraught journeys and twisty, malleable, subjective memories of three characters over the course of a single day. Priya and Alex, both in their 50s, wait on Priya's old friend Prakash to visit their Lake Ontario island home for a day and a night. Their relationship already on tremulous ground, Priya's unilaterally extended invite draws out all of Alex's doubts and accusations about Priya's past and perhaps present attachment to a man that could intrude and perhaps had always encroached on their lesbian relationship.

The media heralds this as a lesbian novel and while that's not incorrect per se, POLAR VORTEX seeks to trouble the rigid lines Western queerness carried over from heteronormative understandings of self to delimit its membership and demand its members act accordingly. It's in the lines that push them to argue and brandish their women only bonafides, to mark any departure as a betrayal. A particular white liberal lesbian queerness that others Brown bodies and cultures which they view as more naturally falling into a cis het norm in comparison to their hippie freedom. (What disgusting irony, tbh.) It's there in the pleasure Priya garners from being described as looking like a boy.

Perspective is all in a novel in which Mootoo charts in varying detail the journey Priya makes from 70s Trinidad to Canada as an emigrant (never does the word immigrant appear in relation to her) and Prakash, expelled from Idi Aman's Uganda. References to the sponsored Syrian refugees from a newer conflict, with Alex (who sees herself as) the stable settler point, Mootoo explores fixed notions of identity tied to nation states, skin colour, food, and language.

Patriarchy bounds across cultures uninhibited as we see how it shaped a found family in which a man's supportive actions to his woman friend are the preliminary steps to repeated coercive violations, in men that use their trauma (if they even see it as such) as a way to score.

The path the book takes us on this exploration and excavation of body and memory is landmarked with secrets, with experiences the holders are made to feel should be secret, secrets that only seem so until unveiled by another's single glance, contradictions, inconsistencies, performative kisses and askance eyes guarding minds that are churning, churning, churning every gesture, expression and tone. In this book set in a December of mildest winter, the January's polar vortex, all three characters still caught in its spin. Where will they land at the end?

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September 18, 2020Woooooooooooooiiiiiii!

4.5 ⭐

Gimme time fi process dis yah book YAH. English Intimate messy queers complicated relationships immigration and assimilation unreliable narrators and narratives beautiful writing dual pov but in looooooong chunks, im blown away more coherent thoughts will happen later English I'll put together a more thoughtful review later. Probably a 4.5 rounded up. Some quips but also some really brilliant story telling. Amazingly tense. English The ending to this book is quite strong, it was where I knew it was headed, and it was the strongest part of the book for me. However, it was not enough to see me rate it higher than I have.

I kept notes throughout my read, and I also kept returning to reviews of this one to read over and over, because I didn't seem to be reading the same book as others since they have rated it very highly. What was I missing? I am quite conflicted (and was sometimes bored) by this read and I think there were too many narrative styles or techniques and threads introduced that didn't fully come together for me. Mootoo tries to create an unreliable narrator and then switches the points of view half way through (I thought that might pick this one up for me, but it just continued to not pull it all together enough) - leading me to believe she was trying to build a suspense-styled story but I don't think it took us all the way there. Was this then to be an exploration of race and sexuality? Because that wasn't strongly threaded together enough for me either. I'm probably not articulating my points clearly here either. But if this was to be the reason, the primary reason, for the breakdown of Priya and Alex's relationship, I don't think that was coming through enough for me. And, at one point and during the flipped perspective, we have a soliloquy of sorts dumped in about Prakash's family's arrival as refugees in Canada that simply didn't fit where it was inserted (in my opinion).

Therefore, I struggled with where my focus was meant to be drawn towards. I found Mootoo's Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab to be a far more moving story about many of the topics she writes about here in Polar Vortex.

If we are to choose 5 or 6 books for the shortlist from the 14 longlisted for the Giller Prize, this would not be one I want to see moving into that small grouping. * shrugs * * sorry * English I picked this up because it is on the Giller 2020 shortlist, and reading other reviews, lots of people love it. I... did not.

I like character driven books where not a lot happens plot wise. I like books with a very tight character focus with stream of consciousness, introspection and self doubt (see A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence). I like books about the immigrant experience in Canada (see Immigrant City by David Bezmozgazis). I like books that take a deep dive into two or three pivotal days in a characters life (see The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue). But this just missed the mark for me. Rather than introspection, I felt like I was reading claustrophobic navel gazing. Certainly there was immigrant and refugee experience, and while these parts were probably my favourite of the book, I'm not exactly sure what Mootoo was trying to tell me. And the pivotal days just didn't seem all that compelling to me. Like, maybe just too much time spent on deciding whether to make bread pudding or granola for breakfast, and not enough time on the things that make the day pivotal. I mean, I know people repress thoughts, and that avoidance is a real thing, but it doesn't exactly make for a compelling narrative. I suppose this was also about trauma, and whether or not we can really know another person. But, again, Mootoo just failed to catch me.

Anyway, I suppose you should read the other reviews and see if there's something that sticks out to you and seems like it would capture your imagination. Because I'm having a hard time thinking of who I would recommend this to. English

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A strange, dark, fascinating, and thought provoking novel. Priya is in her 50s and lives with her partner Alex in an Ontario small town. Out of the blue she gets a message from an old university friend Prakash, with whom she had a complicated and fraught relationship.

Her invitation for him to visit brings up longstanding insecurities and issues in Priya and Alex's relationship. Themes include mainstream (white) discourse about queer sexuality and identity, refugee experiences, difficulties of intimacy and communication in relationships, and the triple effects of sexism, racism, and homophobia on queer women of colour.

The deep dive into longterm queer relationships really reminded me of Jane Eaton Hamilton's book Weekend. Mootoo adds to that with a somewhat unreliable narrator and multiple points of view.

I really mean it when I say this novel was thought provoking! I have notes written all over the margins of this book and in the notes on my phone. Full review on my blog here! English FINAL REVIEW: Easily one of my favorite books of the year!!

It's intimate, possessive, claustrophobic, sensual, seductive, emotionally (sometimes physically) violent, and very queer. It's one of the best “relationship dramas” I've ever read. It's one of those books where you're so deep into this character's (Priya) head. You get all her thoughts: her rationalizations, her confusion, her defensiveness, her innermost desires; and it’s all so feverish. It also plays with memory. How well do we remember events from our own pasts?

There is a lot of jealousy + insecurity in this book. And I’m not going to lie, it’s delicious (and rewarding) being a part of this world. You just want to know what the hell is going on, but you don’t at the same time. It’s strange how both of those things ring true. You’ll enjoy the push and pull this narrative offers. What is the root of all this tension? What are you hiding? What is she hiding? What is he hiding? Why is Prakash coming over? Who is Prakash? Who are any of these people really?

The book opens with an intensely provocative dream and the text just soars from there. The language is taut with a whirlwind of emotions, bubbling feelings lapping over one another. What I love the most about this book is that it is really only about three individuals and their connection to one another. It’s a long time before Prakash even enters the present story, yet his presence haunts the text right from the start. Also by having these characters be older, there is so much explosive history for us to explore.

Not only is this novel a deeply intimate character study, it also manages to seamlessly weave in the vastly different immigrant experiences for Trinidadians, Ugandans, Indians, and Syrians. There is a particularly electrifying conversation involving one of the characters addressing this very subject.

Ah, this book. Read about the complex personalities of Priya, Alexandra, and Prakash. That's how you do a love triangle. This book is fkn amazing. Canadian Literature is kicking ass these days.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGIYBpMgJ... English WOW! Shani Mootoo writes a book that grabs you from the starts, grips you hard and doesn’t release you, even after finishing the book… WOW!

Set in a small town countryside of Ontario, we meet lesbian couple Priya and Alex who have been together for a long time. Priya is from Trinidad and Tobago but left to study in college and ended up in Ontario to pursue a career as an artist. During her time in Ontario she met and fell in love with her partner Alex who is a writer. Priya hatches a plan for her and Alex to leave it all behind, move to a countryside, come off social media, get rid of all their contacts/acquaintances and move forward in this “new life” with just close friends and family.

For the most part their plan works, and they live comfortably together forging a life that is beneficial to both of them. This plan comes to a halt when Priya’s long forgotten university “friend” Prakash finds and messages her on Twitter. For some reason Priya invites him to come visit her and Alex in the countryside. What was supposed to be a “you should come visit!”, but I don’t mean in, turns into Prakash actually deciding to come visit…alone.

Alex and Priya relationship starts to unravel because there are questions and concerns that Priya is being evasive about. Who is Prakash? Why is he visiting you without his wife? Didn’t you say he had a crush on you? Priya is conflicted and wants to call off the visit. Alex is angry, insecure and feels she doesn’t really know who Priya really is. This couple is unravelling and fast….

This is my first book by Shani Mootoo and I was not prepared for this amount of brilliance! When I tell you Mootoo writes a book wrought with tension, believe me. For the entire book I kept waiting for the next shoes to drop. Usually I would get annoyed with the author feeding me bits and pieces of information, but Mootoo did such a spectacular job of knowing when to ease up the tension and when to pull it in. I generally do not like books set in secluded settings with less than 4 characters but Mootoo executed beautifully on this I could not complain.

I spent a whole day reading this book because I just HAD to know what happens and what this visit will lead to. Also the ending. THE. ENDING!.... WHY?!!!

Overall this book is well written, well crafted and truly will not leave you be, even after closing the book. An absolute must read!

Thanks so much Akashi Books for this ARC.
English This book! Lindy talked about it on episode 196 of the Reading Envy podcast and I ended up reading it right away. It's about Priya and Alex, a lesbian couple who have moved to a rural island in South Ontario. When Alex invites an old friend for a visit, her relationship with Priya starts unraveling. Slowly the reasons are revealed.

What I loved is that the couple is older, and are established in who they are and how they relate to one another. Because of this they know when the other person is not telling the whole truth, or even just holding something back, and it is these unspoken tensions that are captured so brilliantly by the author, I was totally wrapped up in what would happen. There is a lot more going on due to cultural backgrounds and other friendships and how social media is used or abandoned, and these factors are interestingly explored as well. There are moments of realization that are so powerful, I was feeling them too! I love when an author can bring the reader into the emotional experiences of the characters and I was so impressed by Shani Mootoo's ability to do so. I will be tracking down her previous books for sure.

ETA: I read this close to when I read Fair Play by Tove Jansson and there are some overlapping themes. If you like novels about relationships between two grownup women who have their own lives and interests as well, I can recommend both!

I had a review copy earlier than it comes out in the states but look for it in September! English I'm cry English

Some secrets never die…

Priya and Alexandra have moved from the city to a picturesque countryside town. What Alex doesn’t know is that in moving, Priya is running from her past—from a fraught relationship with an old friend, Prakash, who pursued her for many years, both online and off. Time has passed, however, and Priya, confident that her ties to Prakash have been successfully severed, decides it’s once more safe to establish an online presence. In no time, Prakash discovers Priya online and contacts her. Impulsively, inexplicably, Priya invites him to visit her and Alex in the country, without ever having come clean with Alex about their relationship— or its tumultuous end. Prakash’s sudden arrival at their home reveals cracks in Priya and Alex’s relationship and brings into question Priya’s true intentions.

Seductive and tension-filled, Polar Vortex is a story of secrets, deceptions, and revenge. It asks readers: Are we ever free from our pasts? Do we deserve to be? Polar Vortex