The Retreat by David Bergen (Review)

Released September 2008 (McClelland & Stewart) * 324 pages * ISBN 13: 9780771012532

The Retreat by David Bergen is set in Kenora, Ontario, during the ’70s, specifically the summer of the Objibway occupation of Anicinabe Park. The story follows the Byrd family, a white family from the big city that comes to Kenora to stay at a commune-type compound known as ‘The Retreat.’ This is the place that Mrs. Byrd is convinced will make her right and her husband is willing to try anything if only his wife would return to the way she was before their last son was born and she lapsed into a post-partum depression. While the adult Byrds are dealing with their own problems, their 17-year-old daughter Lizzy is left in charge of her three brothers, which is the usual state of affairs.

The book centers on Lizzy and her brothers as they come to deal with their mother’s inability to cope, their father’s unwillingness to take action, and the changes in their own lives that are the inevitable result of growing up and figuring out who you are. Lizzy in particular learns of love and heartbreak when she becomes involved with a local Ojibway boy.

This book is very much focussed on character development at the expense of plot. I’m not a particular fan of books that choose one over the other. If I had to pick, I would pick plot. It’s not that I’m not interested in character development, I am. In fact, I am equally disappointed in books that neglect character development in favour of plot. It’s just that I don’t find character development in and of itself interesting enough to sustain a book.

The plot in this book takes a backseat to the characters. As a consequence I never found myself particularly worried about the characters or interested in their inner turmoil. I wanted the occupation of Anicinabe Park to feature more prominently in the novel, but it was more of a backdrop that was barely there. It was frustrating, because the book is almost there in balancing the two, but misses it by a hair. Having said that, this actually a very good book and I’m sure many people will enjoy it and find it satisfying. Confused? Keep reading and I’ll explain.

My preference for the balance between character and plot is a personal one and there are all kinds of readers who prefer a different balance (Oprah comes to mind). I can tell that this was a good book because I enjoyed reading it (though I did find it put-downable) even though it turned out not to be my kind of read. I’ve read a number of books either by accident or by cohersion that focussed on character development which were agonizing to get through, but this wasn’t one of them.

If you don’t mind books that focus on character development, and even seek them out, then you might quite like this book. There are certainly other book bloggers who did.