The Cure for Death by Lightning

This book is wonderful... The author uses detailed imagery which made me feel as though I was in the thick of the story itself, watching close-by. Like that of the previous reviewer, while I read each page, it felt as though something significant and terrible was on the cusp of occurring. An enjoyable read, The Cure For Death By Lightning will guide you into the rural British Columbia setting and life of fifteen year old, Beth Weeks, a girl who struggles to live a normal life. this proves to be tough, with a father who hasn't been the same since 'the bear incident'; An old-fashioned mother who is undeniably the thread who keeps Beth's father from completely losing it; The neighbors and kids who won't let Beth and her family forget their troubles... and a host of other characters who help make this the heart-felt and compelling read this is.

I picked this up for a light read, but soon realized I'd judged too quickly from the cover. The Cure for Death by Lightning layers folklore and mythology and the simple pleasures of baking with the gritty realities of family tragedy - of incest, violence, blindness and mental illness- all the while illuminating the strength and inner beauty of Beth Weeks and her growth into a woman.I read an essay about Jane Austen once that discussed how tragedy, real tragedy, occurs in the setting of the household. It is because they are so close to us and so beloved that our family can be the cause of the greatest hurt. Brother pitted against brother, incest, domestic violence...the household is the centerpiece of tragedy. And if this is so, then Beth Weeks has known more than her fair share of tragedy. And yet, the novel manages to be hopeful without being sentimental, realistic without forgoing beauty.Reading this book may disturb you, but will leave you with an indelible impression of blue forget-me-nots, the sooty marks of a hand on another, the imagined scent of violets, and the fragrance of fresh-baked pound cake.

A very interesting first novel by Gail Anderson-Dargatz, just out in quality paperback. It's the story of 15-year-old Beth Weeks, daughter of a farming family in western Canada in the early years of WWII. Along with the commonplace grittiness of their farm life (the endless chores, the birth and death of livestock, the loneliness), there's also the oddities of small-town life, with its eccentrics, tragedies, property feuds, marriages, funerals, and festivals...and given the fact that Beth's dominating, temperamental father seems to be suffering from a combination of depression and psychosis, the Weeks family's popularity is not too high in town just now. There's also a strong undercurrent of Native American spirituality and mythology running through the novel---at times it's the only explanation for an event, unrational as that might sound. One might almost think of this as a Canadian version of a Latin American "magical realism" novel: translate tropic to temperate, jungle to prairie, Spanish heritage to British...The title originates with the scrapbook kept by Beth's mother, a hodgepodge of recipes, Christmas cards, household and family lore, observations, and agonies, a sort of collaged diary of this woman's private life.I enjoy novels told in first-person narration, if the narrator's voice is an interesting one---and Beth is one of the more interesting voices I've come across lately.

This is one of the best novels I've read in recent years. Cleverly structured, the book was magical, haunting, stunning, mysterious. A brilliant first novel from Gail Anderson-Dargatz, and I look forward to reading more of her novels. A truly compelling book which combines elements of rich poetry, story telling, myths, and fabulous cooking recipes!!!