Just Say the Words

Susan Patrick is a librarian at Ryerson Polytechnical University.

Just Say the Words is a sprawling and epic, yet intimate, novel,
populated by fascinating and complex characters whose lives span 40
years and three continents. The novel opens in late–1980s Canada and
centres on the relationships among four characters who are in their
seventies: Martin, a gay actor; Ruthie, his ex-wife and good friend;
Vera, Ruthie’s friend and housemate; and Charles, Vera’s ex-lover
and Ruthie’s second ex-husband. These characters’ lives are
intertwined and complicated by their various pairings in marriage, sex,
friendship, and enmity, which take place in vividly drawn scenes in such
places as 1948 revolutionary China, Britain’s 1950 theatrical world,
and contemporary Vancouver. Martin and Ruthie appeared previously in
Helwig’s wistful earlier short novel Blueberry Cliffs, but here the
characters are cast in a different light, illuminating some of their
arcane behavior in the earlier novel.

Just Say the Words is ultimately about the bonds of love—whether they
are heterosexual, homosexual, or nonsexual—and their power to be both
destructive and affirmative. Helwig writes with a deep understanding of
the complexities of human emotions and motivations. His characters are
portrayed with sympathy. The novel is both entertaining and uplifting.