Nancy Huston's musings on belonging strike home again. An English Canadian who made her home in France, Huston is forever à cheval between cultures. She brilliantly details subtle and not-so-subtle instances of gotchas (when people remark she used the wrong gender agreement and 'outs' her as an outsider) and plain foreignness.
She expresses the pain of being displaced wherever she is - the inevitable chasm created by the day-to-day activities not shared by those who stayed behind. They know a certain part of you, but not the everyday fabric of your life and so, visiting friends back in Canada, she is immersed in her childhood which only takes into account part of the total person she has become.
A reflection on growth, change, expectations and the need to belong all wrapped up in one beautifully crafted little book.
English Cucumbers
10 months ago
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