I loved reading Monkey Beach ! I loved the author's use of crisp abbreviated language. At times I felt like she was actually talking to me. It was a very comfortable read,in fact, I read it in one sitting. Not that it was exceptionally spellbinding like some novels might be but it just seemed to flow so easily from one chapter to the next. I am especially fond of reading about Native American customs and beliefs so I guess this aspect attracted me as well. I love their beliefs about nature and how intricate a part it plays in their everyday lives. This is the first book I read about the Haisla and Heitsuk Native people from British Columbia. I also appreciated the bits of humor scattered throughout the novel such as, "Best way to keep ghosts away is to fart, Uncle Geordie said." or "You are the biggest pain in the butt in the history of pains in the butt", Jimmy shouted back." I'll have to remember that one the next time my sister and I disagree about something. I was also intrigued about the Sasquatch sightings in the book and was hoping by the end of the novel that somehow that would come to play out in a bigger way.

I loved this book too. She's very straightforward and honest in tone, and I liked the setting a lot. It made me homesick for the ocean and boating, etc. But my favorite parts were when she broke down in to stream of consciousness. She's writing a fairly normal (maybe slightly twisted) memoir-ish coming of age novel, and then suddenly the reader is being given a detailed description of the workings of the heart. Or the reader is then thrown into a spiritually charged, very obscure ending in which the main character talks to her dead relatives. We don't even know if she dies at the end, or if Jimmy lives. The ending made me want to start reading the book from the first chapter all over again, immediately.

I read Monkey Beach last semester and rereading it now I was able to catch so many things that I had missed the first time around. I really enjoy this book because of its darkness. However, I think it is done in a very connected and somewhat light way. One of my favorite scenes is when Lisamarie is seeing a therapist and she sees a monster wrapping around Ms. Jenkins. "Its fingers sank into her arms, its legs wrapped around her waist as it clung to her like a baby" (272-273). I don't know why I love this scene so much but it intrigued me. This monster was like this poison that scared her and yet, in the end she craved more. "I knew it was wrong to want the thing to feed on me again, I knew it was bad. But without it, the night was long and empty and endless" (275).
I suppose I just really enjoy the total gift that Lisamarie has. I appreciate that as the novel comes to an end it appears that Lisamarie is beginning to accept her gift and gaining the proper knowledge about it. It scares her because she doesn't know how to embrace it at first and then one time the little man didn't show up and she was caught off guard to learn that Ma ma oo had a heart attack. That is when she started to realize that her visions were a gift.

I really loved reading Monkey Beach. I thought that the story was interesting and kept me wanting to figure out what was going to happen. There was nothing perdictable about this book and I appreciated the fact that the author kept me guessing. I really liked the character of Lisamarie and her relationship to her uncle. Lisa seemed to really appreciate that her Uncle Mick treated her like an adult, like an equal, and I think this really helped her become really close to him. It's hard to say which aspects I enjoyed the best. I liked the book cover to cover. I liked the parallel of Lisamarie's journey to Monkey Beach while her memories describe her journey through childhood. Both journey's deal with loss and there is a tragic thread throughout the entire novel, but at the same time, I never really felt sorry for Lisamarie. She was such a strong character on her own that even though she lost some of the people most important to her, she is able to go on, to continue. I loved how the book was written and the characters that Eden Robinson portrayed. The images that she described, like the story Lisa's mom tells about seeing whales chasing seals up-stream, were so real. The whole book had a really raw feeling about it and the entire time I just wanted Lisamarie to find her brother. I think this is probably one of my favorite books yet in this course.

As a couple people have mentioned so far, after reading Monkey Beach I wanted to read it again, ASAP. You can tell its one of those books that has so much beneath the surface and so many interrelated images and whatnot—components for which a second reading would really do justice. I would also have to say these elements—those that were left unanswered, or that I need to look into further—intrigue me most. For example, I’d really like to try and figure out the significance of the way Mick died, and in relation to Lisamarie seeing seals all the time; or the importance of naming in the novel, particularly in relation to Lisamarie being “named after” Mick.
I also really enjoyed the parts where Robinson would just bust into descriptions about the biology of the human heart. For me, these segments served to give a jolt to the narrative—mixing it up with something unexpected, and changing the pace (even if only for a mere paragraph). The non-chronological plot also worked to that effect, as we’ve seen in other novels in this class, begging the reader to work a little, to put the pieces together.
Overall, I really enjoyed Monkey Beach. It read very smoothly but still carried a real intriguing depth that I’d like to revisit soon.

Monkey Beach is probably my favorite book out of all the ones we have read up to this point. There is just so much going on that there is never a dull moment. Everything is so woven together that sometimes I would have to reread certain parts to try and make sure I got it all. Even in doing so I am sure that there is a lot I missed. I think what I liked the most was the complexity of all the characters. Any of them could have their own story from their point of view. I often wondered what people were thinking that we didn't learn about from Lisa's perspective. Another thing that I liked was that even though Lisa's life is so different from my own it was still easy to identify with her on some level, particularly being females of the same age. It helped me make a connection to the novel and drew me in even more.

This was by far my favorite book of the class. I liked the way she flashed to so many different stories so often. I thought that it was really interesting because each of the stories tied to one another even though they were disconnected by time. My favorite use of this was when she was talking about the heart. She explains that she is telling us about it because Ma-ma-oo had done a lot of research after she had her first heart attack. The passages about the heart also tie into the struggles that Lisa faces with her own life and having a broken heart due to some of the events that have shaped Lisa's life. Another interesting part I thought was the additions of the passages about being able to connect with the dead. The passages seemed to come at such random times in the story, but it shows that during the novel, communicating with the dead is always on her mind. I love that in the end, before the section 'The Land of the Dead' there is one passage that tells you when you've achieved that place that you can communicate with them. I was unsure of how closely it tied into the last section because everything was a blur. I don't know if she died or if she was just i the state of being able to communicate and had done a really good job of it. Ma-ma-oo tells her that she has come too far into this world and that she'd better get back, so I'm thinking that she finally connected with them and because of her gift she had the ability to really get into their world.

The last section of the novel was extremely confusing. After reading it a few times it started making more and more sense but I'm still confused. Is she dead? Is she alive? Is Jimmy dead or alive? Who were all the spirits? What exactly happened with Adelaide and Josh?

This book was my FAVORITE book we've read for class so far. Lisa is so sassy and it was a wonderful break from the more feminine female leads, beside say La Grande Sauterelle. I really like the part where she knows Lou Ann is going to beat her up so she doesn't wait for her to come find her, instead she goes to find her and punches her in the nose. The book got really good from then on, because you could see romance budding with her and Frank and then also with Jimmy and Karaoke. I just found it refreshing how she was such a tomboy. When she describes her excitment in finding out that boys play more aggresively than girls. "none of the guys got mad at me when I hit them-in my experience, if you hit to hard everyone stopped and glared at you..." (178) I thought she was hysterical.

Also, the way she describes things, even simple things like gutting fish, is so exciting and alive. I think the best thing about this story is it was always moving. She is very talented in writing dialoue that is smart and with real rhetoric. And when she writes about even things I already learned in anatomy like the heart, I found myself sucked into her diagram.

Eden has a way of incorporating this presence of dark spirituality next to a deep love within the family that really makes it a powerful novel.

I have to agree with most of the blog prompts here. I absolutely loved monkey beach, by far one of the best books ive read in awhile,and my favorite in this class. I thought it had a great flow and energy with a sense of humor that made it appeal to a greater audience. It was really realistic. I could definitly see that exact situation happening in real life. lisa coped with Uncle Micks death how most people would, trying to escape it and actually hallucinated. And the overbearing parents who have a whole other picture in their mind for who Lisa should be, and who they want her to be. Despite that, she isn't and she surprises alot of people, trying to comprehend two worlds. Lisas strong "I don't give a shit" personality radiates throughout the book, making me want to keep reading. I wanted to know what crazy thing would happen next. The end of the book left me sitting on the edge of my seat, unsure what exactly happened to her. It was disappointing not to know whether Jimmy was alive or not, I was looking forward to that.

I have mixed feelings about Monkey Beach. I found it incredibly easy to read in it was extremely captivating. I was surprised that such incidents such as Lisa's rape had such a short passage and she never mentioned it in her narration after that. I found the relationships to be sincere yet not fulfilling, I thought that Lisa and Frank would have gone somewhere with the tension that had been building from the beginning of the book. Although inherently a part of the book, Edin Robinson seemed to be using the cigarette smoking as a crutch or a filler. It seemed liked every other sentence was about her smoking a cigarette, yet I understand that was a habit of Lisa's that needed to be touched upon. Did Mick and Lisa's mom have intercourse, and is Lisa's dad really the rebound? Who knows, I know that Edin purposely leaves a lot of material ambiguous and that seems to keep the reader thinking about it. The struggle to define and explore one's own cultural heritage seems to be a main conflict in many of the books we have read, in particular Volkswagen Blues. Overall, it was really entertaining but seemed to be lacking in depth. I did not find myself emotionally attached to any of the characters but still found it engaging.

It took me about one hundred pages to really get into Monkey Beach. At first, I couldn't really understand the deeper meanings of the story. However, by the end of the book I definitely appreciated the way the story was told and thought that it was one of the most original books I have read in a long time. The most interesting part of the book, in my opinion, is the ending. I like all of the passages that are solely about nature and its wonders. When Lisa is on Monkey Beach she makes many references to the crows, trees, and sounds she hears coming from the spirits on the island. Although she is the only living human being on the island, she is not alone. She gets to see her Uncle Mick, Ma-ma-oo and Ba-ba-oo and they guide her with her power so that she may escape the land of the dead and discover the truth about Jimmy. What I liked most was that the ending is not definite. Eden Robinson leaves the reader to decide whether or not Lisa and/or Jimmy survive, and I think this makes the story more powerful. There is an overarching magical element to the entire novel, and leaving readers with an unanswered mystery at the conclusion adds an additional mystical element.

I really loved Monkey Beach! It was refreshing because it was set in a mroe urban area and seemed a bit more modern than the rest of the novels we have read. Some of my favorite parts were whe Lisa was describing the function of the heart at the beginning f certain sections. It made it kind of hands on in a way because I was actually feeling my pulse and so on. I really loved Lisa's character because she did'nt care what anyone thought about her, and spoke he mind. She had an interesting opinion about every character in the story, and shared a bond with everyone. I admired her relationship with Ma-ma-oo, she was the only one, besides Mick who truely listened and understood her. She helped Lisa come to terms with her 'powers', and put her at ease. I loved the supernatural/gothic aspect of the novel because it was something new, again refreshing. It added an erie element. Also, the description of water throughout really tied together much of the themes, and aspects of the story for example the seals and Mick's death and Jimmy's swimming. I was very satisfied with the ending, even though some people were not. You could tell that Lisa was in a good place at the end. Overall this was a great book and I look forward to reading it again to pick up on things I had not realized before.

Hey everybody. First of all, I'd like to apologize for missing class today - I woke up this morning feeling pretty under the weather. I guess I'll make up for it with some blogging!

Monkey Beach was not my favorite novel that we've read. I did appreciate the extraordinarily dark portrait that Eden Robinson was able to create with the recurring images of the crows, the ocean, and the little man in Lisa's bedroom. Also the inclusion of the passages about human anatomy and communicating with the dead - very creepy! After discussing the novel several times in class, though, I found that some of the features were lost on me. Call me obtuse, but I took very little note of the loss of the Haisla heritage in the generation of Lisa's mother, or the connection between this and the religious schools. These aspects seemed to me drowned out by Lisa's strong, willful narration and the story's jumpy timeline. I guess more than anything, this novel affirmed for me the preoccupation with death that seems to pervade a lot of Canadian literature. Honestly! No Great Mischief, The Tin Flute, The Double Hook and Next Episode all had very grisly undertones. Monkey Beach, I think it safe to say, could be added to this list.

I, too, have mixed feelings about this book. I liked that it was an easy and intriguing read. I also enjoyed becoming acquainted to the Native American customs. I found Lisa's relationships with Mick and Ma-ma-oo to be the most/only healthy relationships she had throughout the entirety of the novel. Lisa's spiraling depression was solely attributed to Mick's and Ma-ma-oo's death. I think that the fact that she was ostracized for being Native American, distant from her parents as a result of her closeness with Mick and Ma-ma-oo (maybe not as a direct result, but it seemed to me that there certainly was a correlation), and that she was raped by a close friend would have been detrimental to her psychological development. I liked that abstractness, if you will, of the book; the jumpy timeline, the little man in Lisa's room, the firm beliefs in ghosts, and the imagery. However, the last chapter threw me a little. I found it to be somewhat hard to follow. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but made my assumptions. I actually read the last chapter twice, which helped. I'm glad we read it. I liked that it was more modern, this made it easier to relate to. It was interesting based on the dark undertones of the book that the accounts of death throughout the novel were very vague. I liked it more than not.

When first reading Monkey Beach I was apathetic towards it. For some reason the book just didn’t excite me. But after a few different discussions in class, specifically the one where we contrasted Monkey Beach to gothic literature, I grew a new found attachment to the book. Seeing its gothic elements, I began to think about Monkey Beach in contrast to one of my favorite novels, Wuthering Heights. When reviewing Monkey Beach again (with this association in mind) I found myself wondering if Monkey Beach could stand as a modern parallel to Charlotte Bronte’s classic piece of literature.

Monkey Beach gives gothic literature a modern culturally updated setting, while retaining skeletal gothic elements. 1) Although the setting is not in a castle, the “shadows of the British Columbian coast line” (375) offer a suitable 1990’s update. The Location of an Indian Reserve on the outskirts of western Canada is obsolete and dark with a haunting history of cultural oppression and mysterious folklore. 2) Wuthering Heights is an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, which clings and mystifies the characters so significantly, that Bronte names the novel after it. Monkey Beach parallels these elements. Eden Robinson also names her novel after its most significant setting and much like Heathcliff and Cathy’s attachment to Wuthering Heights, Lisa and Jimmy are tied to the dark mysterious Monkey Beach throughout their entire lives. 3) Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events play out in both novels in the form of deceased love ones. Heathcliff and Lisa submerge into the supernatural realm of the dead, when they are unable to live without the presence of their deceased loved ones. Heathcliff screams at Cathy “Haunt me then! I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always - take any form - drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!” (Bronte 340). After Mick’s death Lisa begins to actively pursue her “gift” of seeing both worlds. Lisa describes in her lessons for contacting the dead “if you have not contacted the dead after several tries, examine your willingness to speak with them. Any fear, doubt or disbelief will hinder your efforts (Robinson 212). Lisa willfully seeks to be haunted unable to let Uncle Mick go. When at the end of the novel while on Monkey Beach, Lisa finally sees Mick again and exclaims “ ‘Why didn’t you visit me? Why did you stay away?’ ” (368). Both these characters long to be haunted, merely to be close to deceased love ones.

As I began to see striking similarities between Heathcliff and Lisa, I began to also wonder whether Lisa could be considered a modern day Byronic Hero (or more precisely heroine – in our politically correct gender accurate times). I can see traces of the Byronic hero in Lisa especially as a “young (woman), prematurely sated by sin, who wanders about in an attempt to escape society and (her) own memories” (Byron 19). Lisa tries to escape on several different occasions. After the death of her grandmother and her sexual assault at the hands of Cheese, Lisa goes to Vancouver and tries to lose herself in the city numbing the suffering of her past with alcohol and drugs. Both Heathcliff and Lisa are victims of the racial injustice of their eras. They are profoundly affected by the marginalization they encounter as members of racially oppressed and stigmatized minorities. Neither Lisa or Heathcliff can escape the dehumanization this part of their identity causes each of them. Heathcliff suffers as a castaway of upper class snobbery, unable to marry the woman he loves because his mongrel gypsy roots would degrade Catherine. Lisa suffers under the oppression of western society and its obvious disrespect of Native culture and ways. Lisa is constantly reminded that her life is less meaningful to western society as a Native American. Her aunt says to her, “honey if you were some little white girl that would be true. But you’re a mouthy Indian, and everyone thinks we’re born sluts. Those guys would have said you were asking for it and gotten off scot-free” (255). Lisa and Heathcliff live as outsiders to their Society’s standards. They are also representative of each era’s version of the dark brooding outcast.

I could go on for quite a bit, But don’t want to overwrite on a blog post. I guess I just really see that each book illustrates elements of gothic literature while accurately describing a culturally unique historical setting. Monkey Beach is Wuthering Heights meets the capitalistic Prozac generation. I have a newfound appreciation for Monkey Beach because of its echoing similarities to one of my favorite pieces of literature.

I am not sure how I feel about monkey beach. It was an easy read and it went quick. I enjoyed learning about some of the native american culture that appeared continuely throughout the book. Im not sure if I really liked the gothic literature that it represented. Many of the characters had these unlying issues and chose alcohol or other means to deal with them. The ending was difficult for me, aswell as for other people because it was not clear. It left the reader to decide for themeselves. I felt that Lisa finally, like many of the novels that we read, comes to terms with herself and her brothers death. Yet, then we question whether Jimmy is actually alive or not. Overall it was an interesting book and different from others that we have read in the class.

Monkey Beach is one of my favorite books of all time. To me it is the best of both worlds, super rich with underlying themes and important issues, but also full of action. Eden Robinson somehow managed to write about drugs, sex, and rock and roll along with familial values and heritage... Truly a work of art. My favorite aspect of the novel is definitely Lisa's relationship with her uncle Mick, as well as her relationship with Ma-ma-oo. These are both two very different aspects, but they are so vital to understanding the story. Lisa learns so much from both of them, and ends up almost lost between the contemporary life that Mick lives (the sex, drugs, and rock n' roll) and the tradition and mysticism that goes along with Ma-ma-oo.

It is hard to say that I loved this book the most so far, because I have really enjoyed all of the books that we have read this semester. I can say that this is definitely one of my favorite books that I have ever read though. I loved the mystery and supernatural aspects of this books. I found the characters to be enticing and well developed. This was definitely one of those books that you just can't put down. I liked the way that this book was based off of a girl trying to get in touch with her roots in a predominantly white society. The in depth knowledge of this cultures ways and language was a refreshing change from some of the other novels that I have read in recent times. If we had more time to discuss this novel their would be too many parts that I would want to focus on. But, the one that strikes me the most is her interactions with the spirits at the end of the novel, and the classes interpretations of them.

I really enjoyed this book, though I agree that some of the ambiguous tendencies of Robinson got a little frustrating after awhile. The pages flew by, however, and I particularly enjoyed the relationship Lisa had with Uncle Mick (how can you not appreciate the visual of a little girl standing up in class and singing "Fuck the Oppressors"?). I identified with the bittersweet tone of the book, though had a hard time with the nagging feeling that nothing seemed to really get resolved. Was Uncle Mick's death truly an accident? Was Ma-ma-oo's? Did Jimmy actually die? Did Lisa? Though frustrating, the ambiguities were essential to what I think Robinson was going for. The identity of Lisa was a somewhat ambiguous one, and by leaving certain things open and up to interpretation, I think she was saying something more about the endless possibilities of life and- of course- death.

I really enjoyed reading Monkey Beach. the most interesting aspect of the novel to me was the relationship that Lisa and Uncle Mick had. Mick had a huge influence on Lisa and it was interesting to watch her develop into a very Mick like Women. She loved to go fishing, go out on the boat, go camping etc. Mick seems to drive Lisa throughout the novel to not take crap from anyone about anything and to always stand up for yourself. This is interesting because as far as Mick goes you could say that he was a terrible influence on Lisa. However, in actuality we see Mick as being the perfect influence on Lisa and really shapes her life. Another interesting relationship in the novel is the role that Ma Ma OO plays in Lisa's life. In a way we can look at Ma Ma OO as a spiritual guide to Lisa. She teaches Lisa everything about nature and about the world that lies beyond life. Where your ancestors await patiently to greet you. The fact that Lisa has Ma Ma OO's gift of sight into that world creates a really interesting connection between the two characters.

Monkey Beach was among my favorite books of the semester, probably in a 3 horse race along with Volkswagen Blues and Next Episode. Like many have already commented upon, I was drawn towards the supernatural feel of the book, from the scenes with the little man to jimmy’s relationship with the crows, and of course the ending with the crossing over into the spirit world. The relationships that Lisamarie kindled with Mick and ma ma moo were interesting to examine, as they seemed to represent twisting strands of native culture. On one hand Ma ma moo taught her Hislia and about berry picking and her gift, while at the same time Mick taught her to fuck the oppressors and to stand up for her native culture. I just really enjoyed how the supernatural merged with the physical world (like the sasquatch sighting ), and Ma Ma Moo’s pearls of wisdom like, “You don’t have to be scared of things you don’t understand, they’re just ghosts.” (265). If there was one thing I was not a fan of with Monkey Beach, it would have to be the ambiguous ending to the novel, but I’m willing to let it go as it does fit in well with the supernatural feel to the book.

One of the first things about Monkey Beach that jumped out at me was the references to the Coast Guard and other maritime terms. I used to be in Coast Guard (U.S., not Canadian) and certain words jogged my memory of things I was starting to forget, such as "VHF." It is interesting to hear perspectives from native people in Canada. I see a lot of parallels between Lisa and La Grande Sauterelle. Both are young women dealing with issues of ancient culture in modern society. La Grande Sauterelle focuses more on the historical. Lisa focuses more on the spiritual. Overall, I thought Robinson structured the novel well. The periodic changes of pace keep things from becoming stale. There's a good mix of tragety and humor. The author keeps you entertained with Lisa's feistiness and stimulating passages, such as the mysterious ending.

What I liked most about Monkey Beach is the clash of cultures, of Lisa trying to embrace her mystical heritage, while her parent’s generation does everything possible to move past it. While the older generation was forced to assimilate, they still resist their heritage as if they want to remain assimilated despite being at an age and at a point in society where they are no longer forced to do so. Rather than respect and support Lisa’s attempts to channel powers once considered inherent within their people, her mother and uncle and aunt consider her crazy. A perfect example of this is the discussion of ghosts on page 107 in my edition. “‘I just don’t like the ghosts.’ ‘Ghosts, huh?’ ‘Don’t you believe in ghosts?’ ‘Did you see them?’ I shook my head. ‘I just heard them laughing.’” Generally speaking, in our culture, it is the children rejecting the heritage and traditions of the parents; here, though, it is the child trying to embrace what those before her have rejected, once forcibly and then later by choice.

This book was an enthralling and fascinating read. There is so much that can be discussed, I don’t even know where to begin. First off, I was very much intrigued by the generational gap between Lisa, her parents, and her grandparents, and how this gap affects the way in which they view themselves and their heritage. The way that Lisa’s perspective on her gift differs from her mother’s skepticism of Ma-ma-oo’s teachings really says a lot about the cultural damage that the residential schools did to first nations peoples, not to mention the myriad mentions of the other abuses and excesses of the residential school system and the clergy in this text.

The style is what made this book so fun to read. The writing is so varied and rich. The tone and texture of the narrative changes with every chapter it seems, and the fact that it is a non-linear narrative ripe with supernatural intervention makes every chapter worth re-reading. It’s hard at times to get a concrete reading of the events in the novel, but maybe that’s what makes it entertaining. Because I can go back and reinterpret a passage (such as the ending, it gives me chills just thinking about it) countless times.