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Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab
Por Shani Mootoo
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Short-listed for the Lambda Literary Award from the author of Cereus Blooms at Night. “A fascinating premise that gives voice to the queer-identified” (The Globe and Mail, Toronto).
Jonathan Lewis-Adey was nine when his parents separated, and his mother, Sid, vanished entirely from his life. It is not until he is a grown man that Jonathan finally reconnects with his beloved lost parent, only to find, to his shock and dismay, that the woman he knew as “Sid” in Toronto has become an elegant man named Sydney living in his native Trinidad. For nine years, Jonathan has paid regular visits to Sydney on his island retreat, trying with quiet desperation to rediscover the parent he adored inside this familiar stranger, and to overcome his lingering confusion and anger at the choices Sydney has made.
At the novel’s opening, Jonathan is summoned urgently to Trinidad where Sydney, now aged and dying, seems at last to offer him the gift he longs for: a winding story that moves forward sideways as it reveals the truths of Sydney’s life. But when and where the story will end is up to Jonathan, and it is he who must decide what to do with Sydney’s haunting legacy of love, loss, and acceptance.
“The novel’s evocation of the light and sights of Trinidad, its tropical over-ripeness and the scary suddenness of night’s onset, are vivid. But most vivid of all is the sensitive, wise Sid/Syd, whose tragedy is to never have been loved the way she/he deserved.” —Toronto Star
“Mootoo’s character-driven novel is rich in setting and slow in pace, inviting the reader to linger over its closely observed details.” —Booklist
Jonathan Lewis-Adey was nine when his parents separated, and his mother, Sid, vanished entirely from his life. It is not until he is a grown man that Jonathan finally reconnects with his beloved lost parent, only to find, to his shock and dismay, that the woman he knew as “Sid” in Toronto has become an elegant man named Sydney living in his native Trinidad. For nine years, Jonathan has paid regular visits to Sydney on his island retreat, trying with quiet desperation to rediscover the parent he adored inside this familiar stranger, and to overcome his lingering confusion and anger at the choices Sydney has made.
At the novel’s opening, Jonathan is summoned urgently to Trinidad where Sydney, now aged and dying, seems at last to offer him the gift he longs for: a winding story that moves forward sideways as it reveals the truths of Sydney’s life. But when and where the story will end is up to Jonathan, and it is he who must decide what to do with Sydney’s haunting legacy of love, loss, and acceptance.
“The novel’s evocation of the light and sights of Trinidad, its tropical over-ripeness and the scary suddenness of night’s onset, are vivid. But most vivid of all is the sensitive, wise Sid/Syd, whose tragedy is to never have been loved the way she/he deserved.” —Toronto Star
“Mootoo’s character-driven novel is rich in setting and slow in pace, inviting the reader to linger over its closely observed details.” —Booklist
Acciones del libro
Comenzar a leerInformación sobre el libro
Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab
Por Shani Mootoo
Descripción
Short-listed for the Lambda Literary Award from the author of Cereus Blooms at Night. “A fascinating premise that gives voice to the queer-identified” (The Globe and Mail, Toronto).
Jonathan Lewis-Adey was nine when his parents separated, and his mother, Sid, vanished entirely from his life. It is not until he is a grown man that Jonathan finally reconnects with his beloved lost parent, only to find, to his shock and dismay, that the woman he knew as “Sid” in Toronto has become an elegant man named Sydney living in his native Trinidad. For nine years, Jonathan has paid regular visits to Sydney on his island retreat, trying with quiet desperation to rediscover the parent he adored inside this familiar stranger, and to overcome his lingering confusion and anger at the choices Sydney has made.
At the novel’s opening, Jonathan is summoned urgently to Trinidad where Sydney, now aged and dying, seems at last to offer him the gift he longs for: a winding story that moves forward sideways as it reveals the truths of Sydney’s life. But when and where the story will end is up to Jonathan, and it is he who must decide what to do with Sydney’s haunting legacy of love, loss, and acceptance.
“The novel’s evocation of the light and sights of Trinidad, its tropical over-ripeness and the scary suddenness of night’s onset, are vivid. But most vivid of all is the sensitive, wise Sid/Syd, whose tragedy is to never have been loved the way she/he deserved.” —Toronto Star
“Mootoo’s character-driven novel is rich in setting and slow in pace, inviting the reader to linger over its closely observed details.” —Booklist
Jonathan Lewis-Adey was nine when his parents separated, and his mother, Sid, vanished entirely from his life. It is not until he is a grown man that Jonathan finally reconnects with his beloved lost parent, only to find, to his shock and dismay, that the woman he knew as “Sid” in Toronto has become an elegant man named Sydney living in his native Trinidad. For nine years, Jonathan has paid regular visits to Sydney on his island retreat, trying with quiet desperation to rediscover the parent he adored inside this familiar stranger, and to overcome his lingering confusion and anger at the choices Sydney has made.
At the novel’s opening, Jonathan is summoned urgently to Trinidad where Sydney, now aged and dying, seems at last to offer him the gift he longs for: a winding story that moves forward sideways as it reveals the truths of Sydney’s life. But when and where the story will end is up to Jonathan, and it is he who must decide what to do with Sydney’s haunting legacy of love, loss, and acceptance.
“The novel’s evocation of the light and sights of Trinidad, its tropical over-ripeness and the scary suddenness of night’s onset, are vivid. But most vivid of all is the sensitive, wise Sid/Syd, whose tragedy is to never have been loved the way she/he deserved.” —Toronto Star
“Mootoo’s character-driven novel is rich in setting and slow in pace, inviting the reader to linger over its closely observed details.” —Booklist
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An amazing book by an Indian woman from Trinidad and Canada providing insights into the lives of transgendered individuals and those who love them.Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab introduced me to the complex life of a person who was transgendered. For the first time I was able to understand at a visceral level how a person makes and lives with decisions about gender that I do not encounter in my own life. The book’s subject, and how well that subject is handled, make it an important and unique publication, especially for those of us living in limiting traditional communities.This book however is much more than its treatment of sexual minorities. Appropriately, characters are much more than their sexuality. A variety of themes are interwoven: loss and re-connection, migration and cultural difference, inter-generational relations, secrecy and death. . The writing is graceful and compelling. The landscapes of Trinidad and Toronto, where the book is set, are lushly portrayed both in terms of their physicality and of the differences of the people who live in each. One of the main characters is part of the Indian community that has long been a part of Trinidad. Hindu life and ritual is described.The plot is unusual and an excellent vehicle for the story. Jonathan grew up in Toronto, cared for primarily by his mother's partner. When the couple split, Jonathan's caregiver disappears, only to be rediscovered after Jonathan is a young man. Jonathan is intensely curious about the fact the person has changed gender, but holds back questions out of respect. Gradually Jonathan and the reader come to learn the full story.Shani Mootoo was raised in the Indian Trinidad community and moved to Canada as a young adult. Initially she devoted herself to creating films and videos, some of them widely praised. She has claimed that her interest in visual storytelling seemed safer to her than words after she was punished for telling about the sexual abuse she received as a young child. In writing her novels she displays both her visual and verbal gifts. In addition to her work in film, she has published several books of short stories, poems, and fiction. Her writing often focuses on issues of migration and sexual diversity.I strongly recommend this book to those interested in learning to appreciate those who are transgendered---and to anyone who is curious about people, or simply cares about excellence in writing. Akashic Books is to be congratulated for making available yet another excellent and important book.
MOVING FORWARD SIDEWAYS LIKE A CRAB by Shani Mootoo was sent to me by Akashic Books in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. This title was first published by Doubleday Canada in 2014 and is being reprinted in the US by Akashic Books in 2017.This is a story about storytelling. How a story is understood by and shapes both the ‘teller’ and the ‘listener’.It is a story of unfolding layers - layers and layers of culture, ethnicity, origins, immigrant experiences and expectations, friendship, city life - island life, cold climate - tropical climate, Toronto - Trinidad, family expectations and relationships, gender, physical appearance, childhood experiences, lesbian and bisexual relationships, and storytelling.It is a very descriptive story - of language, place, local customs, city life, emotions. I was caught up on every page with descriptions - of snow, of the walk Sid makes to the clinic, the Hindu funeral rituals, Sid’s friendship with Zain. Mesmerizing.The story begins with a prologue of sorts - From Sydney’s Notebook; Moving Forward Sideways Like A Crab by Jonathan Lewis-Adey follows and is written in 3 parts with 12 chapters.Jonathan is born to a very independent and successful author, India Lewis-Adey. She is in a relationship at the time with artist and Trinidadian immigrant, Siddhani Mahale. ‘Sid’ in effect raises the young child (Jonathan) which leaves India time to fully concentrate on her writing career. When their relationship cools several years later, India tells Sid to leave and Sid can’t bring herself to say good-bye to young Jonathan. This begins Jonathan’s very deep feelings of abandonment.Many years later, Jonathan begins searching for Siddhani Mahale and is puzzled when he can only locate a Mr. Sydney Mahale in Trinidad. Sydney is indeed Sid and has undergone sex reassignment surgery. Sydney is now a female to man transsexual. Jonathan visits Sydney in Trinidad off and on for many years trying to reconnect with this very important parent figure. Jonathan is also trying to understand Sid/Sydney’s abandonment of him and his new transsexual self.Jonathan is always the ‘listener’ and when Sydney dies, Jonathan tries to understand Sydney through Sydney’s journals and letters as the ‘teller’.There are many strong characters in this story - Siddhani/Sydney Mahale, India Lewis-Adey, Jonathan Lewis-Adey, Zain - best friend, confidante and inner voice of Sid and later Sydney, Sydney’s staff in Trinidad, the mysterious Eric, Anta - who helps organize Sydney’s Hindu funeral.It is a very lyrical, poetic, emotional story - rich in its settings, emotions, gender and story-telling. I can’t stop thinking about this story and its participants.
No character in MOVING FORWARD SIDEWAYS LIKE A CRAB is quite where he or she wants to be in life. Sydney is a woman who lives as a man, Zain is a married female not quite satisfied with the attention she gets within her traditional marriage, Jonathan is a grown man who is still the little boy inside, the young boy who was left by his mother's lover and whom he considered his second parent. Jonathan's mother, a peripheral character in the novel, is obsessed with her writing career and doesn't want to be pulled back in history - or so it seems - to either Sydney, her previous lover or to Jonathan, the son she had but let Sydney primarily raise until he was about ten. Mootoo's book about characters moving through life lacking something: a true gender, a sense of being loved, a need for attention is a thoughtful, very personal sounding contemplation told through Jonathan's memories, Sydney's journals, and Zain's letters. Their stories are interwoven into one, traveling from Canada and the told over-and-over-again story of the snowy cold day Sydney walked to the clinic to have her breasts removed, to Trinidad where Jonathan, Sydney, and the servants who work for him eat the most West Indian of food, look out over the most West Indian scenery, and live life in a very Trinidadian manner. The novel is compelling and one becomes interested in the characters. Mootoo's first novel, CEREUS BLOOMS AT NIGHT was much more West Indian in nature, with gender being more of a subplot. Now, in this book, Mootoo's fourth, gender identity takes first place and the West Indies come in second. It is almost as though an editor said "But you've lost that West Indian feeling! Get it back!" and Mootoo obliged by adding nature scenes, descriptions of food, and adding close-up looks at Trinidadian Hindu customs.There is much to like about MOVING FORWARD even though it is difficult to get to know Sydney (almost as if as a real-life person, Sydney would not let anyone too close), and the chief narrator, Jonathan, is not particularly likable, being a bit self-centered, feeling cheated of the years he spent without Sydney, wanting to be the son, but really wanting a mother and not the father that Sydney has become. Zain may be the most interesting character as she seems (through her letters) to say what she feels, and she gives love freely even though it may not be quite in the manner in which Sydney craves it.Mootoo introduced some interesting plot elements that were not followed up upon thoroughly and leave the reader a bit disappointed. There is a horrific murder of a main character, yet this is never totally addressed or totally resolved, even though most readers will be waiting to hear a different ending.For fans of Shani Mootoo, this book will not disappoint, but it will make one think: about why many move forward in life by moving "sideways," why there is so much dissatisfaction in relationships, how religion and community play into life choices, and what defines friendship. For those who are reading Mootoo for the first time, this may not be the best book to start with. Reading Mootoo's books chronologically may be helpful not only to allow a new reader to become acquainted with her style, but also so that her development as a writer can be clearly seen.
I enjoyed this literary novel about a middle-aged man resolving his relationship with the trans man who, as a woman, raised him for ten years then disappeared from his life. The author writes beautiful descriptions of Toronto winters and Trinidadian landscapes and food. The title Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab describes the author's structure, moving obliquely through time with flashbacks, letters, and diaries unfolding the story of Sid/Sydney while jumping back and forth. I tend to prefer plot and action based stories, but Mootoo drew me in with her beautiful writing, compelling characters and an enduring mystery at the heart of the relationship between Sid/Sydney and his greatest love. For those who like literary novels add a star.
A moving and thought provoking story about a man looking for his mother Sid, only to find that Sid is now Sydney, a man living in Trinidad. Sydney is dying and wants to tell Jonathan about his life. A nuanced meander through the life of someone who never felt comfortable in her own skin.
A compelling story well outlined by other reviewers before me. The search for one's lost parent and the gender issues combine to make a poignant story. It was confusing and perhaps unnecessary for Sid to not only be transgender, but also to have been the lesbian partner to Jonathan's biological mother during his early childhood. This was not well documented in the early chapters and not central to the story.