Miriam Toews has been one of my favourite novelists since I read A Complicated Kindness some years ago (winner of the Governor General's Award, 2004). She is from the same part of the planet as I am, small town Manitoba, and she comes from a Mennonite family (as I do too, on my father's side). Sometimes I feel like we're cousins. Maybe we are!
If you've read Miriam Toews' work, you'll know that her writing can be laugh-out-loud funny, while also dealing with the heaviest of subject matters. Fight Night is no exception. This novel is told from the perspective of nine-year-old Swiv, who lives with her pregnant mother and her elderly grandmother. Much of the book revolves around the relationship beween Swiv and her very eccentric grandmother. Swiv is often tasked with taking care of Grandma - fetching pills off the floor whenever Grandma drops them (who alerts Swiv with calls of "bombs away" whenever that happens), rescuing Grandma when her wheel breaks on her walker and Swiv finds her "resting" on the floor, helping her shower, and even being her only support on a last-minute trip to the States to see relatives. Through her signature use of humour and references to Mennonite culture and use of language (oba!), Miriam Toews' characters are truly addictive.
With all that said, at its heart, for me this novel is about overcoming fear and the strength of family. For much of the book, Swiv is afraid her grandmother will die, and we get glimpses into her other fears too. What if her mother is crazy? Is her father coming back? Will the baby be okay? But while this home to three generations of women seems unhinged and chaotic, the stablitity of Grandma's character is what grounds them all. On the surface, Grandma seems the biggest risk-taker - the most frenzied - but her inner strength and acceptance of life ultimately is what her family relies on, and what Swiv needs to accept the changes that are coming her way.
Fight Night is a novel about resilience and family, fighting for those you love, and finding acceptance when overcoming fear. Thank you, Miriam Toews for writing novels that touch the deepest part of our souls and make us laugh all at the same time.
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