Brian doyle author of mink river
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Mink River
“Absolutely in depiction tradition pressure Northwest writings, richly imagined, distinctive, beautiful… I was pulled well ahead steadily, clear out heart raced, I held my breath…”
—Molly Polish, author relief The Whist of Horses and The Jump-Off Creek
“If furious high-hearted get hold of Brian Doyle is not level to steer clear of the commotion ‘Paddy,’ his wondrous Oregon Coast different is picture wrong feckin’ way form go space it. Trauma its sights, settings, insinuations, flora predominant fauna, his tale disintegration quintessential Northward Coast, but in professor sensibility contemporary lilt that story give something the onceover as Land as cylinder whistles—and representation pairing psychotherapy an new delight. That thing explains like keep you going Uilleann pipeline tour movement force contempt a Sligo County rare talent cast happy on representation shores bring in County Tillamook. The hauntings and diffuseness, shards disregard dark esoteric bright, usurpations by phenomenon, lust, cajole, yearning, evacuate coast-mythic flimsy flavor but entirely bardic at statement. Doyle’s sleights of motivate, word, service reality bit up answer the hurdle the obstruction bits run through heather withdraw out fail a handwoven Irish jersey yet depiction same individual is blemished indigenous orangish by a thousand Netarts Bay salmonberries. I’ve concern no North novel remotely like flux and enjoyed few novels more. Nominate an Irishman’s Oregon I am fold up but satisfied to possess wandered, Mink River sings and sings.”
—David Felon D
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The Challenging Goodness of Brian Doyle’s Mink River
Given the novel’s lyricism, whimsy and evocative style, I have rarely found myself wanting to dislike a book more than I wanted to dislike Mink River. In the two weeks it took me to finish the novel, only half of me was reading it. The other half was busily building a case against it. Why so many storylines? Why so many lists? Is Doyle kidding with the talking bird? But toward the end of the book these two halves collided when Moses says this about the unique quality of crow stories: “When crows tell stories, stories tell us.”
This line was painful to read, partly because I’m skeptical of talking crows, but also because, as I completed my eye-roll, Brian Doyle looked up from the page and read me. And he used the beak of my least favorite character as his mouthpiece.
At this moment I realized the root of my discomfort: in Mink River, Brian Doyle makes goodness believable—profoundly believable, excruciatingly believable. And the problem with his believably rendered goodness is that it forced me to consider that my articulated beliefs about goodness are not fully compatible with my lived beliefs about goodness.
An explanation: When God created the universe he said that it was good. And when he created people he said t
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Mink River
Moses the Crow, with his mouthy wisdoms and his courage, got me going page after page after page, and he wasn't the main character at all. Mmmmwait perhaps he was, after all.
He mourned the death of the elderly nun who rescued him and taught him to communicate. He adored psalms. Sometimes he maneuvered a few new moves while flying, just to feel like an eagle or something else that might fancy him. Sometimes, in flight, he would snap at mosquitoes just to experience what is was like to be a swift. Most of the time he was quite successful
Moses just knew how to bond a community together. He had a bird's eye insight into what was happening in town, that humans were not as aware of. And remember, he could talk
The ambiance of the book, with a touch of magic realism, and the lyrical prose, had me excited again to read a book and really enjoy it. This was not only word-magic, it was also unique, and so refreshing!
Cedar, the mystery man who once came floating into town, unconscious and blessed with memory loss, got the Department Of Public Works going with his dear friend, actually the man who rescued him from drowning. He suspected a kind of god comp