Review of I AM A TRUCK by Michelle Winters

3.5 Stars

I saw this book on the shortlist for the 2017 Giller Prize and its description intrigued me. 

Agathe and Réjean Lapointe are getting ready to celebrate their 20^th wedding anniversary when Réjean goes missing, his beloved Chevy Silverado left abandoned by the side of the road.  There is no evidence of foul play so it seems like he chose to disappear.  Agathe grieves but eventually has to move on with her life so she gets a job where she meets the free-spirited Debbie.  Her new friend teaches her about rock and roll music and how to drive. 

It is Agathe’s spreading her wings that is much of the appeal of the book.  Agathe and Réjean led an isolated life:  “They moved into a cottage in the woods [outside an English-speaking village], and began a life of increasing seclusion, and the prospect of communicating only with each other in a town where no one spoke French. . . . Being separated by language from the world around them strengthened their bond of exclusivity.  Gradually, they retreated from the world altogether, existing solely for each other in the confines of their home.”  Their motto becomes “‘Il n’y que nous.’”  In many ways, Réjean makes the decisions; he decides, for example, that they will listen to French folk music on the radio, saying, “’Notre musique, ça’” though Agathe has a preference “for a crescendo, some histrionics, something loud.”  When Réjean disappears, Agathe must become more independent, and she ends up gaining an identity separate from her husband.  She is able to cultivate her interests.

Martin Bureau, the Chevy salesman who sells Réjean his beloved Chevy trucks, also struggles with identity.  He is a lonely man but gradually he and Réjean developed a friendship.  (For Martin, it’s actually more of a bromance.)  When Réjean is gone, Martin struggles since for him the important part of his identity is being Réjean’s friend.  He becomes obsessed with watching over Agathe. 

The book is a quirky mixture; there is much subtle humour but there are also events which are anything but funny.  There is a mystery surrounding what happened to Réjean, but it becomes secondary to how characters develop when a person central to their identity is no longer present. 

In some ways, this is a quintessential Canadian novel.  It has both English and French dialogue which may pose a problem for non-bilingual readers, but not much more than a basic understanding of French is required.  (Actually, much of the dialogue is Franglais.)  An English speaker chooses to learn French but does so in secret.  The book even mentions the Anglophone/Francophone conflict:  “At home and school, [Agathe and Réjean] had been taught that the Anglophone world was trying to oppress them, monopolize their culture, and eradicate their language.” 

This is an unusual pick for the Giller Prize.  I don’t think it’s of the literary quality worthy of such an award, but it is a quick read with some nice touches.  I will not be able to see the Chevy Silverado commercials on television without thinking of this book.