Riding the Comet

Susan Patrick is a librarian at Ryerson University in Toronto.

The “Comet” was the roller coaster (at Crystal Beach in the 1950s)
that daredevil teenager Linda used to climb up on and ride. “Roller
coaster” is a fitting description for Linda’s family, whose many
secrets and lies set the stage for tragedy in her adult life. Abandoned
by her mother, the child Linda tries to look after her younger brother
Jimmy, until the neighbours find them and they are taken by child
welfare. Jimmy is adopted and a guilt-ridden Linda dreams of finding
him. In the present, she is facing a marriage breakup with her
controlling husband, who is haunted by childhood secrets of his own.

As the clearly written narrative shifts from present to past, Riding
the Comet evokes a certain nostalgia for the small-town Ontario of
yesteryear, even for childhoods that were not happy ones. In Linda,
Andrychuk has created a sympathetic character whose strength and
resilience eventually shine through.