Sometimes I have to actually read a book to understand why it is even on my shelf to begin with. I bought Spring Tides in 2007 at the Miami Book Fair. My friend Angie and I rode the Tri Rail train from Delray Beach to Miami just to go to the book fair. We spent the afternoon touching all different kinds of books from small presses to best sellers to children's titles to antique wonders.
Spring Tides has the most beautiful cover which to me gives absolutely no insight to the story within. It is the story of a comic strip translator whose boss sends him to a small, secluded island to work and be happy. The boss comes every Saturday in his helicopter to pick up the translator's work and drop off provisions and groceries.
First the boss literally drops Marie on the island to make the translator happy. Then the boss's wife who is called Featherhead because she appears hungover wearing a feather boa arrives on the island with her chihuahua in tow. Later the Author and the Professor take up residence. The boss brings another cat, The Ordinary Man and the Organizer all in the name of being happy. Each new character arrives with the next spring tide. All the translator really needs to be happy however, is The Prince. The Prince is the tennis ball machine who challenges him to a match on a regular basis.
Jacques Poulin is a Canadian novelist. I tell people I'm half Canadian. My grandmother was born in Canada. I have several Canadian friends and I love reading Canadian novelists. I'm sure I didn't know who Mr. Poulin was at the time I purchased this book. Spring Tides called to me, eh? It's a funny tale that made me laugh. I don't want to ruin it, but when I got to the end, I just didn't get it. Just because I'm half Canadian doesn't mean I understand Canadian humor. It's kind of like the 'eh'. My friends use the 'eh' often and it sounds so charming coming from a Canadian. Coming from my stiff American tongue, 'eh' loses all its appeal.
I'm going to give Spring Tides to my friend Inez. She's Canadian, loves cats and making up nicknames for people. The entire time I was reading this book I was thinking about her. So it's meant for Nezzie. I rate this book 4 out of 5. Spring Tides is fun, quirky light reading that helped me to learn something new about my roots.
I read Spring Tides in french, so maybe it had a different sense, but I did not find it light at all. The end is quite depressing actually. It is about a man who has all his reasons for living stripped from him. Furthermore, every character on the island is symbolic and there is a deeper meaning behind them. As the tide comes in, new people arrive, and as the tide receeds, all the garbage is left washed up on the beach (the islanders minus Teddy).
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