As If By Accident

R. Gordon Moyles is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Alberta. He is co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities:
British Views of Canada, 1880–1914, author of The Salvation Army and
the Public, and editor of “Improved by Cult

“Sure it’s a mess,” says one commentator on the chaos theory,
“but there’s a pattern in there somewhere.” That’s an
appropriate description of this novel’s theme. Seemingly meaningless
accidents—accidental deaths, accidental omission of an address on a
manuscript, accidental meetings—govern the lives of the two chief
protagonists, Val and Gus, until such accidents bring them together at
the end in an almost predestined way. Described like that, the plot may
seem jejune. But, as in any good novel, it is how the plot unfolds—its
unexpected twists and turns, its interplay of cause and effect, its
character portrayal—that makes it an extraordinary reading experience.
And in this case, Johnston is a master of plot development, cleverly and
skilfully interweaving the various strands to a satisfactory conclusion.
She also creates a social milieu, inhabited by writers and publishers,
that not only gives the characters special views on those professions
but offers the reader glimpses of lifestyles and personal interactions
they might not have known. Added to this are moments of humour and
compassion, along with an ingenious plot, a cast of convincing secondary
characters, and an elegant writing style. This is an edifying and
pleasurable reading experience.