Mister Sandman: A NovelBarbara Gowdy’s outrageous, hilarious, disturbing, and compassionate novel is about the Canary family, their immoderate passions and eccentricities, and their secret lives and histories. The deepest secret of all is harbored in the silence of the youngest daughter, Joan, who doesn’t grow, who doesn’t speak, but who can play the piano like Mozart though she’s never had a lesson. Joan is a mystery, and in the novel’s stunning climax her family comes to understand that each of them is a mystery, as marvelous as Joan, as irreducible as the mystery of life itself. In its compassionate investigation of moral truths and its bold embrace of the fractured nature of every one of its characters,Mister Sandmanattains the heightened quality of a modern-day parable. |
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arms asks baby believe boyfriend breasts chair Cloris closet comes didn't doesn't don't door Doris says Doris's dream dropped eyes face fall father feeling feet felt fingers front girl give glasses goes Gordon Gordon says Grandma hair half hand Harmony head hear heart hold hour idea it's Joan Joan's Joanie keep kiss knew later laugh leave legs light lips listening living look Marcia Marcia says mean mind minute mother mouth moved never night okay once Paul picks playing pulls remember seems she's side sits Sonja sound stands starts stop straight sure talk tape tell there's thing thought told took touch trying turned voice walked watch wearing window woman wonders