Requests and Dedications

Susan Patrick is a librarian at Ryerson University in Toronto.

In this, her first novel, Levine weaves the intersecting tales of
members of a dysfunctional extended family, bound together by shared
memories and a love they do not always recognize or accept. At the
centre is the coming-of-age story of the tough and resilient teenaged
Tanis, who is trying to find her place in a difficult world, all the
while battling with her mother Joy; her wealthy uncle, Walker, who runs
a horse stable/riding school for the local gentry, and on whose charity
they live; and Walker’s pampered younger daughter, who is on
medication for psychological problems. Thrown into the mix is vivacious
failed showgirl Mimi, Joy’s friend and Walker’s lover.

Each chapter is narrated by one of these memorable and vividly drawn
characters, each of whom has a unique perspective on events in the past
as well as those unfolding in the present. A recurring theme for the
female characters is the difficult nature of relationships between
mothers and daughters. Levine finds humour, too, in tough situations and
circumstances, and nicely evokes the local colour of downtown Toronto
bars like the Drake Hotel and life in the outlying horsy areas. What
really sets Requests and Dedications apart, though, is the quality of
its prose.