Hardscratch Row

June M. Blurton is a retired speech/language pathologist.

At the centre of this novel, which is set in rural British Columbia in
the present, are five siblings: Glen, who dies early in the story; Jimmy
and Seely, who are both gifted artists in different media; Kitty, who
was on the rodeo circuit but now helps run a beef farm; and Savannah,
who has five children by three different men. Surrounding them is the
extended family, their partners, and the neighbours, to say nothing of
an outsize Moor cat, an enormous, bad-tempered bull, and Thingy, the
helpful spook, who is seen by only a few people.

Initially, the large cast of characters tends to be confusing to
follow, but as the story progresses, they come into focus. They are all
fighting their past, and it is clear why Jimmy remarks that they come
from “a genetic pool more like a septic tank.” Much of the
information and the insights are given in the form of conversations
between the characters while they prepare huge meals. The dialogue is
always sprightly and appropriate to characters as diverse as elderly
Aunt Lucy, two bitchy teenage girls, and five-year-old Noel.

Given the sad lives most of the characters have lived, this might have
been a depressing story. It isn’t, though, because the voice is lively
and carries the reader from one page-turning episode to the next.
Hardscratch Row is a delightful novel.