International Date Line

Steven Greenhalgh is the research librarian in the Department of Public
Health Sciences at the University of Alberta.

Anna Woods, a 29-year-old from Toronto, agrees to rendezvous with Jack,
her old boyfriend, in Budapest, Hungary. During her stay in Budapest,
Anna is repeatedly stood up by the elusive Jack, who provides numerous
excuses for his continued delay in leaving Seattle. Experiencing
nicotine withdrawal and the prospect of being alone in a foreign country
for her 30th birthday, Anna begins dating a lanky Brit named Ian. When
the absent Jack confesses his love for Anna in an email message, she
leaves both Ian and Budapest to rendezvous with her old flame in Vienna,
Austria. But there she becomes torn between her obsessive memories of
Jack and her current happiness with Ian.

Anna’s self-absorbed narrative and constant indecisiveness between
the thoughtful Ian and his seedy counterpart Jack may test the patience
of some readers. Others will laugh out loud at Anna’s foibles and may
even identify with some of them. Nevertheless, the author links Anna’s
exploration of identity with that of Canadians trying to define
themselves within the international community. Throughout the novel, not
only does Anna seek to define herself, she also must come to understand
what it means to be a Canadian.

International Dateline, which is the debut novel of Dawn Howat, is a
quick read with some insightful observations regarding youth, love, and
identity.