A Father's Revenge

Carol A. Stos is an assistant professor of Spanish Studies at Laurentian
University.

A Father’s Revenge has two male protagonists: Yannis Fokas, a Greek
baker who has lived in Montreal for more than 30 years; and Detective
Sergeant Georges Soucy, a Québécois separatist. The attack on
Yannis’ two daughters that Soucy investigates embroils both men in a
web of ethnic loyalties, lies, and tensions, and leads to the discovery
of disturbing secrets in their children’s lives.

We are told that Yannis and Georges—both of whom struggle with their
family relationships—develop a mutual empathy, but we don’t really
see how that happens. Although the two men become sympathetic figures,
the thoughts of other characters are largely withheld from us. (Is the
opacity of the secondary characteristics perhaps intended to reinforce
the isolation and estrangement each man feels?) And while animosity
between the immigrant community and the separatists—an animosity
inflamed by the “no” vote in the referendum—is a vital part of the
plot, it often seems to intrude on the narrative rather than serving to
deepen the tension and drama. In the end, Bouyoucas skilfully pulls all
the threads together, revealing a surprising motive for the attack on
one of Yannis’ daughters. But the novel as a whole does not become
greater than the sum of its parts.