Gail Anderson-Dargatz’s “The Cure for Death by Lightning”
Looking for some summer reading?
If you’re looking for some not-so-light summer reading by a Canadian author, you might consider The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz. The book is a fast read, but don’t mistake it for pop literature. Dargatz covers some heavy material in her coming-of-age novel: rape, incest, racism, sexual orientation, murder and even bestiality. Set in a rural British Columbia town, The Cure covers war, the roles of wives and daughters and the middle ground between good, evil and bizarre.
Dargatz has mastered the voice of her 15-year-old protagonist, Beth Weeks. Her novel includes colourful descriptions of a variety of town folk, from the gossiping school teacher to the misunderstood foreigner. She also addresses the racism still at play in Canada during the Second World War. Her First Nations characters are the multi-faceted gems that make this book worth reading, though I feel that she plays on the border line with stereotypes.
A main focus of Dargatz’s in her novel is mental disability. Similar to Harper Lee’s character Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird, Dargatz writes about a few handicapped men and their struggle with society. There is a misunderstood and taunted boy, whom Beth and the other children have nicknamed ‘Goat’. Goat is eventually castrated – a painful but realistic portrayal of how mental illness is often misunderstood and feared.
However, the most contentious figure in the book is John Weeks, Beth’s father, who has shrapnel in his head from the First World War and whose psychotic mood swings are nothing short of abusive. Dargatz refuses to write John as either villain or hero, but instead portrays him as a deeply troubled man who is somewhat excused for his moral misconduct because of his disability. It is difficult at times, as a female reader, not to feel anger and dissatisfaction at Dargatz’s somewhat lenient approach to John’s sick behaviour. Then again, perhaps Dargatz’s message that I missed was one of forgiveness and the reality of a person’s helplessness when they are hurt by someone they love.
I was frustrated and intrigued by the ending of this book – there is no happily-ever-after, yet Dargatz’s work is not all tragedy. What is most disturbing and eye-opening is Dargatz’s very honest attempt to navigate between mental disabilities and criminal acts. The reader cannot be satisfied with the ending the way one is with a Hollywood flick because Dargatz’s world does not tie up all its loose ends – and neither does real life.
Though you may have never heard of her before, Gail Anderson-Dargatz has become one of Canada’s most accomplished contemporary writers. She is an international bestseller and both of her novels have been shortlisted for the Giller prize. The Cure for Death by Lightning has won many prizes in the U.K. and has been published across the globe.
