Swann: A Mystery

Lori McLeod is a librarian with the Toronto Public Library.

Swann: A Mystery does not belong to the genre of whodunit function. The title character, Mary Swann, was murdered, but we are told immediately that the violent act was committed by Mary’s husband. In this novel, which was nominated for Canada’s Governor General’s Award, Carol Shields does not explore the mystery surrounding the motives for Mary’s death, but rather, those mysteries surrounding her life and her art. Mary Swann was a poor, uneducated farmer’s wife who was able to produce poetry that would gain her recognition among a handful of scholars. How could a woman whose background was one of such cultural depriivation write such brilliant poetry?

The novel focuses on the lives of four individuals who have been deeply affected by Mary Swann: Sarah Maloney, a young feminist academic who is recognized as having “discovered” Mary; Norton Jimroy, Mary’s biographer; Rose Hindmarch, a village librarian; and Frederic Cruzzi, a retired newspaper editor who published the poems that Mary presented to him in a paper bag just before her death. Through Mary their lives become intertwined. The four are brought together in Toronto for the Swann Symposium.

Shields has created four characters who are very different, but equally fascinating. Through her portraits of each character, Shields examines love and art.

We hope that those who vehemently abstain from reading mysteries will not pass over this novel because of its title. On the other hand, the title may serve to lure die-hard mystery fans into reading this thoughtful novel that is pure pleasure.