Fiction Review

Julie Leroux

The Parabolist
By Nicholas Ruddock
Doubleday, Random House
371 pp. , 29.95$

Juxtaposing sex, mystery, murder and intrigue to poetry classes might not seem like a natural match, but if we learn one thing by reading The Parabolist, it is that the truth often lies in the most unlikely connections. With its original plot, its eclectic group of characters and its unpredictable twists and turns, Nicholas Ruddock’s first novel definitely stands out as both a detective story and an ode to poetic expression.

Readers who come to Ruddock’s novel expecting a traditional detective story with a single protagonist and a rather logical narrative progression will be quite surprised. We are first introduced to Jasper Glass, who barely escapes getting caught in Marnie’s bed by an unsuspecting husband, and who then proceeds to meet his med school lab partner, Valerie Anderson, just in time for a dissection. Then comes Roberto Moreno, a recently immigrated Mexican poet turned substitute teacher for a poetry class at the University of Toronto. There is also the mysterious Murlean Poirier, a teenager on the run who’s hitchhiking to Toronto for reasons unclear. Finally, Dr. Abner Krank, an obsessive psychiatrist, is sure to send chills down the reader's spine. All these characters come together by chance around a terrible crime, that of the rape and near murder of a young woman named Gwen. And in the background, as the many characters entertain us with their sex antics and their experiments in poetry, a discrete Detective Ames tries to stitch singular pieces of evidence back together.

Set mainly in Toronto, the story evolves in many different circles, from the penniless poets of Mexico to the University of Toronto med school, to the alleys where underage prostitutes await their next client and to a collective of feminist activist writers. Ruddock delivers a savoury blend of delightfully engaging poetry and witty, fast-paced dialogue and narration, which alternates between moments delicately told and scenes of murder and dissection that will leave the sensitive reader feeling queasy and shaking all over. The narrative moves freely in time and space, returning frequently to past events, giving us refreshing perspectives on the characters and shining just enough new light on them to pique our interest anew.

More than just a thick book with a good intrigue, detailed descriptions and interesting characters, The Parabolist features fresh perspectives on life, love, sex and writing. Though the pretext of the story is a crime, its true focus of the novel is the study of human nature and the form and purpose of poetry. Readers seeking an eclectic, surprising, witty and unconventional murder mystery should definitely add Ruddock’s skilfully written book to their reading list.