Family Resemblances

Lori A. Dunn is an ESL teacher, instructional designer, and freelance
writer in New Westminster.

Although by no means interchangeable, these two books by Anne Cameron
are alike in her earthy, “big-house-full-of-kids” style. In both
novels, Cameron has recreated a slice of reality to house these almost
familiar stories, with an honesty that compels us to turn the pages.

In Family Resemblances, we follow the life of Cedar Campbell, a feisty
little fighter out to discover what she wants from life, as she
definitely knows what she doesn’t want. Needing to trust herself, and
the people around her, Cedar knows she has to distance herself from her
father, whose dalliances have left his eyes staring out of many children
in the small town. She turns to pig farming and the friendship of an old
man to find her own identity. In a sense, she has to progress from her
past to find a present that she is comfortable with.

On the other hand, the title character of Dahlia Cassidy is living in
her present moment, moving from one gig to the next, and from one
back-breaking job to the next. Her challenge is envisioning a future for
herself and her many children, each by a different father. While she
tries to do this, she lives her life in the honesty of real work and
sweat, finding ways to support her loved ones.

What is the charm of Cameron’s writing? Her novels are lush and
mossy, teeming with life, and the storytelling is unpretentious. Her
characters make do, spout truisms, have babies, take sides, and garden.
Through the comforts and upheavals of her characters’ lives, we see,
smell, taste, and hear all that is important to Cameron herself:
small-town life, nature, unions, the environment, children, farming, and
the rich loamy manure that fertilizes a real life.