A story experienced as a movie sorts itself out naturally into a variety of contributors by virtue of the part they’re playing. Director, screenwriter, actor, cameraperson, editor – they’re all easily understood and differentiated, when they are different. A story experienced when reading a novel is more of a blob. The writer contributes everything, but the reader brings it all together.
For The Dog of the North, I’m nominating Elizabeth Mackenzie for an in-your-brain Oscar for Best Narrative Character Voice for her performance as Penny Rush, the novel’s first-person narrator. It’s a commanding, stellar and stealthy creation that makes every word of this novel a joy, and, importantly, a tribute to the unique artistry to be found in a reading experience,
We meet Penny Rush at what seems to be new low in life; her marriage is over, she’s quit her [bottom-rung] job, and she’s essentially homeless. But a crisis in her grandmother’s life gives her escape velocity from Santa Cruz. It might seem like an out of the frying pan moment, and Penny’s not unrealistic. In fact, who and why Penny is the way she is are propulsive questions in this novel.
Mackenzie tells Penny’s story in a straightforward fashion. Penny’s not an unreliable narrator, but she’s pretty damn busy dealing with her unusual family, and time for introspection is limited. Rest assured, the whole menagerie – her grandmother, AKA Dr. Pincer, her grandmother’s accountant, Burt Lampey, her grandfather, Arlo, his new wife, Doris, Kweeoats, the Pomeranian, even the eponymous van of the title and more – are a blast to be around. And they’re even more fun given the combination of Penny’s voice and the choices she makes.
The Dog of the North is a page-turner of delight, with superb comedic dialogue and prose (you will laugh, often and early) and a weirdly compelling plot played out by a family and friends as weirdly compelling as those in your life. As a reader, you can’t wait to find out what is going to happen because Penny is telling the story, and she is a pistol. She’s likable, relatable and kind of weird. It’s not all fun and games, though, which makes this book even more stellar. Even funny weirdness can have consequences, stunning consequences, which just gets the weird more grounded.
Mackenzie herself keeps things (mostly) grounded, with an Oscar-worthy performance as Penny. This is a novel you enjoy with every word, often enough so that you can go back and enjoy them again. Parts of the book may require re-reading to get through without laughing. Elizabeth Mackenzie’s performance as a writer will inspire your performance as a reader. Give yourself an award in advance, this novel.
And give Elizabeth Mackenzie an award for her responses in our interview, downloadable from this link, or listen below.
Narrative Species 