Dual Citizens was one of six books nominated for the Giller Prize this year. I am curious how these books are chosen - why Dual Citizens and not Five Wives by Joan Thomas or Watching You Without me by Lynn Cody, both of which were of equal quality to Ohlin's book, at least in my mind. It reminds me that these awards are very subjective, especially when you consider that the horrible book Reproduction won. (Sorry Ian Williams, but really!)
Dual Citizens is an easy-to-read, plot-drive, character-driven novel with many pleasures for people who like these kinds of novels that can be read as entertainment. Sisters Lark and Robin (someone who is more thoughtful can explain the symbolism of these names) are fatherless girls, raised by an indifferent mother, Marianne. The older sister, Lark, becomes Robin's caregiver as they leave home to embark on careers. Lark would like to be a filmmaker, and Robin is a gifted pianist.
I won't go into the plot in too much detail. Lark has a long relationship with an emotionally unavailable filmmaker, Wheelock. I enjoyed how this character unfolded over the course of the novel. Eventually Lark leaves him and returns to her sister who is managing a wolf rescue habitat. The book has a reasonably happy ending.
Sometimes I become pretty superficial in my examination of a book. In this case, I am sure the symbolism of film editing is worth considering, as well as other imagery such as pianos and wolves.
Maybe one of you could explain it all to me. I have to say, I was more captivated by Deborah Levy's book The Man Who Saw Everything, a complex, fractured, imagistic novel with many intellectual payoffs.
I recommend Dual Citizens for people who are sick of opaque and dreadful novels of the worst of the human situation, who want something literary but enjoyable.
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