Before I begin this review, let me first acknowledge my positive bias towards this book. The Garneau Block’s setting is an eponymous fictional cul-de-sac located in Edmonton’s Garneau neighbourhood in Strathcona, a part of town known for its historicity. I happen to live in Edmonton’s Garneau neighbourhood, so it was a pleasure seeing the area I (proudly) call home faithfully recreated and represented on the page, and this made me enjoy the book immensely.With that said, then, take this review alongside the consideration that while I loved the book on the merit of its writing, the fact of its setting’s familiarity definitely played a part.Todd Babiak’s The Garneau Block is, in the most basic of summaries, a book about residents of a fictional neighbourhood coming together to save their neighbourhood from being bulldozed to make way for a University of Alberta building. The book really shines in three aspects: setting, character, and dialogue. This was such a delightfully intimate read when it came to setting. When characters go out to the Sugarbowl, or to the Second Cup on Whyte Ave, or outside of the Mettera Hotel, or to the Manulife Place, or to the Garneau Theatre, or to the HUB Mall, or to the running trails along Saskatchewan Drive, and so on, I saw all of these locales so visibly in my head. For example, this review is being written immediately after this reviewer’s late drink and dinner at the Sugarbowl, which was preceded by a walk to Garneau from downtown, crossing the High Level Bridge. Reading these passages, I could hear the sounds outside of Blues on Whyte on a Friday night. I saw the big church on the right when you drive down 109th. I saw the IKEA dominating South Edmonton Common. I used to live in Summerside in 2006 when it was as empty and developing as the book describes it. I know I’m just gushing, but it was really a treat to see my city represented in fiction. As I was telling a companion earlier tonight, it really made me realize how great of a city Edmonton is. It’s clear that Babiak set out to lovingly and accurately represent his city, and the book is so wonderfully Edmonton that, were you to simply replace the names of the locales with those of other cities, it would not have the same effect. A misgiving one might have in reading this review is that this would make the book gimmicky, or too niche. In other words, does the fact that it’s so Edmonton alienate non-Edmontonian readers?I would argue no, because of the characters and dialogue that drive the narrative.The characters, to rehash a tired but fitting old cliché, leap off the page at you. They are written realistically, fascinatingly, and lovingly. Every one of the main characters, especially if you’re Edmontonian, will be richly evocative of someone you have met. There were two moments in my reading that made me realize how disturbingly believable this book’s characters are: one of the characters, Raymond Terletsky, is a Philosophy professor. I found myself at one point dimly thinking that I should look him up on RateMyProf to see what other people thought of him before realizing he didn’t actually exist. At another point, a character whom I will not name because of spoilers, decides to run for office with the Liberal Party of Alberta. I thought to myself that I should Google him and see what he’s been up to lately before, again, realizing he doesn’t exist. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been so saddened by ending a book because I know I won’t share any more adventures with these characters. Babiak can make you sad for, angry with, happy for, derisive of, and attracted to his characters, often in the same paragraph and simultaneously. The dialogue, too, is phenomenal, and I would argue because of the extraordinary characterization present in the novel. The book is more dialogue-driven than anything, so it’s a good thing that the dialogue is so well-done. Characters bounce off each other bombastically and the dynamics between all characters are distinct, consistent, and believable. There are a few criticisms I have of the book. The style of the prose itself can get somewhat clunky. There were a number of strange phrases, similes, metaphors, and stylistic choices that drew attention to themselves, and while it doesn’t substantially detract from one’s enjoyment of the book, in this reviewer’s humble opinion, there were minor issues I had while reading. I’m too lazy to look for them now, admittedly, but if anyone reading this would like examples, I can provide them. Another criticism is that, if you are a non-Edmontonian, the book will lose a lot of its power and significance. That’s not to say you’ll be alienated, but you definitely won’t feel the same love for and familiarity with the setting that you would as an Edmontonian. The criticism, then, which isn’t really much of a criticism from my end but could potentially be one from others, is that the book can be too Edmonton at times, and perhaps, for some Edmontonians, a little too Strathcona.Overall, this is a *strongly* recommended read if you’re an Edmontonian, and a recommended read if you’re not. 4 stars. I’d give it 5, but that 5 would be coming more from my relation to its setting than the book itself. It's not, by any means, as another reviewer put it, a life-changing book, but it's a refreshing and enjoyable read.
The Garneau Block follows a diverse collection of residents as they respond to the possibility of losing their homes to the University nearby. I found the characters to be delightful and relatable in their own way. There is the locally famous actor. The 30 year old pregnant girl who still lives in her parents’ basement and works a dead end job despite a university degree. The retired right-wing and left-wing political couple. The philosophy professor obsessed with death. And the quiet Indian businessman. The novel becomes less of the outcome of their homes, but the development and self-realization of the characters. There is a balance of romance, betrayal, unconditional love, shame and just a little bit of delusional outbursts. The characters are shown in an honest way, including a very cringe-worthy, awkwardly public marriage proposal that still makes you go, “Awwww” at the end.What limits this book is the aggressive name-dropping that isolates the audience to those who live (or have lived) in Edmonton. Even though I live in the very neighbourhood the book takes place, mentions of the Sugarbowl or Whyte Avenue did not evoke a sense of camaraderie but rather an annoyance. It halted the flow of the sentence and paragraphs and acted more of a distraction than anything else. I feel that Babiak relied too heavily on the mentions of hometown locations to keep the interest of the reader.
Do You like book The Garneau Block (2006)?
Although the book sometimes shows its roots as a newspaper serial, nonetheless it served as a nice trip into a neighborhood I lived in as an undergraduate at the University of Alberta. For me it also demonstrated the power of memory in reading. I suppose people who live in cities that are regularly featured in books, New York and LA for example, grow used to having the familiar described but for those of use who grew up and live in cities that are not the usual locales of fiction there is a special, added flavor to books such as The Garneau Block. I liked this enough to read his next book, The Book of Stanley and have his earlier novel, Choke Hold on the to-read shelf.
—Keith
