Arrhythmia (novel)
 | |
| Author | Alice Zorn |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | NeWest Press |
Publication date | May 1, 2011 |
| Publication place | Canada |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) |
| Pages | 315 |
| ISBN | 978-1-897126-80-6 |
Arrhythmia is the first novel by Canadian author Alice Zorn. It was published on May 1, 2011 by NeWest Press.[1]
Characters
[edit]- Joelle - A protagonist of the novel. She is married to Marc and watches her marriage fall apart. She works as a secretary at the hospital.
- Marc - Joelle's husband, who also works at the hospital, and becomes obsessed with Ketia. They have secret rendezvous without Joelle knowing.
- Ketia - A nurse who works at the hospital who begins a liaison with Marc. She has two younger siblings and lives with her mother.
- Diane - Joelle's best friend who is in a relationship with Nazim. She loves crossword puzzles and can do them very quickly.
- Nazim - Diane's live-in boyfriend who is Muslim. Nazim had never told his family about Diane, and he receives a letter from his sister Ghada saying that she will be coming to visit him in Canada.
- Gabrielle - Ketia's younger sister.
- Bastien - Ketia's younger brother.
- "Ma" - Ketia's mother.
- Frank - A doctor whom Joelle works with at the hospital.
- Emile - A former abusive boyfriend of Joelle who arrives at the hospital with a serious illness.
- Ghada - Nazim's sister who is educated, unlike the remaining members of their family.
Reception
[edit]Claire Holden Rothman, in the Montreal Review of Books, said it was, "an ambitious, deftly handled exploration of human beings in love."[2] Juliet Waters, of Montreal Mirror, said, "Alice Zorn is another writer to watch these days. Her lucidly written first novel Arrhythmia is the follow-up to her promising short story collection Ruins & Relics and explores the lives of urban Montrealers struggling with various aspects of betrayal."[3] Beverly Akerman, writing for The Winnipeg Review, called the novel, "an impressively old-fashioned novel based on the ancient and captivating geometry of the triangle."[4] Natalie Samson, in Quill & Quire, said that "the effect here is of a jumble of voices, none of which feels particularly well fleshed-out or authentic".[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Zorn, Alice - NeWest Press". Newest Press.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
- ^ Claire Holden Rothman. "Arrhythmia, Alice Zorn". The Montreal Review of Books. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
- ^ Waters, Juliet. "Ruins & Relics by Alice Zorn". Montreal Mirror. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
- ^ Akerman, Beverly (December 20, 2011). "'Arrhythmia' by Alice Zorn". The Winnipeg Review. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
- ^ Samson, Natalie (June 2011). "Review of Arrhythmia by Alice Zorn". Quill & Quire. Retrieved 2012-01-22.