The Question

In The Question, Austin Clarke takes us on a brutally honest journey through the emotions tied up in our personal relationships. A man and a woman meet at a birthday party, and their lives become permanently entwined. As time passes, the man is forced to ask himself what it is that exists between himself and this woman. He thinks about what he misses about the lover he left to be with her. And how does he really feel about his wife's friend, to whom she talks every day for hours in their own pig latin, keeping him separate from their sisterhood.Clarke's writing is mesmerizing, giving us brilliant images of the narrator's childhood in Caribbean. These bright colors contrast starkly with the colder images of Toronto, where the story takes place. The flow of the language wraps the reader into the story, taking a lilting, but inescapable path towards the climax. Clarke's language creates a feeling of langour, and yet the book is a quick read. No time is wasted; every page and paragraph contributes to the overall story. The narrator is a human being, honestly presenting his flaws, flaws which drive the story and its conclusion. Along the way, we are granted new insight into human relationships, the interplay between secrets and intimacy.I highly recommend The Question, a rare book in that it's both an extremely good and easy read while also providing plenty of content to think about when you're done.