Elizabeth and After

How can a book have a gentle, slowly-developing plot but be a riveting page-turner at the same time? I'm not sure how he did it, but this is exactly what Matt Cohen achieved with Elizabeth and After. There's nothing loud or sensational about this book; instead, you get an intimate and beautifully-written story that creeps up softly and, before you know it, you're hooked. The plot twists had me exclaiming out loud every fifteen minutes or so, but the real star of this book is Matt Cohen's crisp and vivid writing style, which is void of the fluff and embellishments that a lot of other writers use. His writing really makes the characters come to life, from an oddly likeable protagonist (despite being a lost soul with a bit of a violent streak) to the easy-to-fall-in-love-with Elizabeth. This is the kind of book where you'll frequently stop just to mull over a sentence because it was so spot-on perfect.

I wish I had discovered this book before. I could not put it down. It is a page turner especially from part II when we get to really know Elizabeth.The writing is quite vivid and descriptive, easy to read, it flows. The characters come alive and the author transports you into their world and uncovers their beauty, their passions, their faults and obsessions in such a unique way. I highly recommend this book and am sorry that it is the last one written by Matt Cohen.

Author Matt Cohen has created a layered novel of characters tangled together in unexpected ways. But the most stunning gift is his phrasing; he renders images as clearly as a photograph..."he took her down onto the sweet cool ground and gave her little explosions and tears of pain"...or "the perfect silence of falling snow".This intimate rendering of the quirky personalities of the inhabitants of West Gull, Ontario, include the gamut of human behavior, from the sociopathic voyeur to the powerless ageing bachelor. Throughout, it is Elizabeth who defines the commonality of life begun with such hope, now left to languish in despair or the comfort of memory. Cohen reaches deep and reminds us that his characters were once young, defined by their hopes and dreams. We know Adam only in the context of his interior life and his awe of Elizabeth. He serves as an example of the complexities within those we love and take for granted, find wanting and toss aside.In Carl McKelvey we find the essence of his mother, Elizabeth. For all his troubles, he retains Elizabeth's authenticity, strength and ability to accurately "read" others. Carl is able to put aside his own pain and frustration in an effort to provide his daughter with the father she deserves.This is an author whose words enrich the life of the reader. He lays out the tapestry of the human experience, making it impossible to dismiss anyone lightly. Covetous, malicious personalities stand beside the foolish, the innocent, the ignorant and the desperate. The landscape of ELIZABETH AND AFTER is a journey into the heart of man, and Cohen is the guide.

I'm ashamed to admit that this is the first title of Cohen's I've read... my shame is because he's one of Canada's celebrated literary authors. This is his last book before succumbing to lung cancer.Cohen has a fresh and smooth writing style; the characters settle into your skull with ease and before you know it, you're fully engaged in their lives and interactions.This title, apparently not his best but superb nonetheless, has a quirky cast of fascinating characters and Cohen has covered the dark terrain of the soul with aplomb. While the protagonist, Carl McKelvey, isn't a knight in shining armour and does have a rather violent and checkered past, the reader will find him/herself rooting for Carl anyhow. Ned will harken to all readers that young adult insecure bully, rich kid with no care or concern for anyone else. And Elizabeth... Elizabeth will from the first enchant the reader.This story reads like real life and one has to wonder just how much of self and self-experience Cohen incorporated into the story.An easy read - an excellent writer; all in all a great book.

Though Elizabeth and After has a gently-propelled plot and wonderful characterizations, what makes this novel so unique and special, for me, is the crisp and fresh writing. There's nothing labored or falsely "poetic" in the prose. Everything works and this is altogether unusual in contemporary American/Canadian fiction. For this reason, I consider this to be the best novel I've read this year. David Unger