In this uproarious, tender, and wise epistolary novel set in Canada and California, nine-year-old Swiv describes the chaos and conundrums of day-to-day life with her moody, pregnant mom and rambunctious-but-always-at-death's-door grandmother Elvira. Expelled from school for fighting, Swiv spends her time taking care of, and being embarrassed by, Elvira, who homeschools her. She worries about her mom, an actress, and protecting her unborn sibling, Gord. Swiv's understanding of Elvira's past is a mythologized story that matches her grandmother's outsized, fighting spirit. The hilarious situations in which she and Elvira find themselves are testimonials to embracing life, and Swiv's youthful pronouncements on life, death, and love hit the mark. Men are mostly absent, including Swiv's father, and sometimes malevolent. Toews' (Women Talking, 2019) multigenerational family story of this trio of women barrels to a slapstick, touching, cycle-of-life ending. Elvira espouses an uplifting legacy: the wisdom that we're born with a light inside of us; that our job is to not let it go out; and that our ancestors are ahead of us to light the path.

Toews (Women Talking) continues her consideration of the theme of women's self-determination in this indelible and darkly hilarious portrait of an unforgettable Toronto family. Framed as a long letter to eight-year-old Swiv's absent father in her brisk, matter-of-fact voice, it also features letters to her mother and others. After being expelled from school for fighting, she grows closer to her larger-than-life grandmother, Elvira, who "has one foot in the grave" and dives into homeschooling with gusto, convening so-called editorial meetings and devising assignments to write letters to one another. Meanwhile, Swiv's mother, Mooshie, a pregnant actor, is prone to dramatic and sometimes violent mood swings, leading Swiv to fear Mooshie might succumb to the same mental illness that led to her aunt's and grandfather's suicides. The harder-edged Mooshie, who wants a "cold IPA and a holiday" for her birthday, and the exuberant Elvira, are both brash and fearless, traits that alternately embarrass and inspire Swiv. Through these women's letters and stories, readers glimpse histories of grief, loss, and abuse, making Grandma's assertion that "joy... is resistance" even more powerful. The moving conclusion, which has its roots in a plan for Swiv and Elvira to visit family members in California, shuns sentimentality and celebrates survival. Fierce and funny, this gives undeniable testimony to the life force of family. It's a knockout. (Oct.)

Using details from her own family history, Toews (Women Talking) recounts a few weeks in the life of three generations of strong, complicated women. The novel is presented as an unsent letter from nine-year-old Swiv to her absent father. Suspended from school for fighting, Swiv helps care for her irrepressible but health-addled grandmother Elvira, while her mother, a pregnant actress, struggles with mental illness. The family history includes membership in a repressive religious community and several instances of suicide, so generational trauma is evident in the way each character approaches the world. When Swiv accompanies Elvira on a trip to California to visit two of her nephews (probably for the last time), the story becomes a comic, picaresque, and ultimately bittersweet adventure. VERDICT Swiv's narrative voice, by turns angry, sardonic, and full of both love and exasperation for her mother and grandmother, provides much of the charm and appeal of the novel. Elvira is a force of nature, charming everyone around her with her zest for life. Despite the dark elements in the story, the humor and love between the characters shine through. Recommended.--Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis