The bleakness of this family's life is reflected in the bleak countryside Vanderhaeghe describes. Movement in the characters' lives is the result of external control or natural consequences — a death, an influence exerted by another.

This fits the description of Canadians having a tradition of being managed by others.

The juxtaposition of past and present, and the shifting points of view distance readers from the characters; this is an effective and appropriate device because the characters themselves are not comfortable with intimacy.

Despite this overriding bleakness, Homesick is not without its comic moments. There are some fine episodes portraying Vera's experience as a theater employee, complete with an ostentatious uniform and colorful coworkers. Vanderhaeghe gives us a collection of "oddballs and misfits," reminiscent of characters from his collection of short stories, Man Descending (1982).

His first novel, My Present Age (1984), offered a lighter treatment...