The listing, MISTER SANDMAN~A NOVEL BY BARBARA GOWDY~ has ended.
The Canarys are not your typical family. Gordon and Doris are the parents of Marcy and Sonja, who at the age of 15 is pregnant with Joan. As Joan is born, she is dropped on her head, and the resulting brain damage turns her into an idiot savant. Gordon has affairs with men while Doris approaches other women. Marcy loses her virginity during her teens and then proceeds to have numerous affairs with men, usually sleeping with two or three at a time. Sonja stays at home, eating a lot and knitting, while Joan learns to read yet never speaks and avoids strangers and daylight. She serves as the group consciousness and mutely listens as each family member confides his or her various quirks and thoughts. Solidly written, this thought-provoking, challenging novel by a Canadian writer with a story collection and two previous novels to her credit is recommended for large fiction collections