"Oh, Albert!
Can you keep an eye
on Victoria while
I go get my cat, please?
No, thanks,
I'm -
Wonderful!
I'll be right back."
If you loved Colette's Lost Pet (Tundra, 2017) as much as I did, you will be very pleased to know that this book returns to Montreal's Mile End neighborhood and introduces Albert as a young, quiet boy who wants to find a hushed place to read his book. His house is too noisy to accommodate the need for such a pursuit. His first stop is the alley behind said house, where he spots a watercolor sunset in a painting that is obviously being tossed out. Back he goes for a chair, and settles to quietly contemplate the beauty of that sunset before he begins his book.
Another gate opens, and two gardening friends wonder if he would like to give them a hand. No, he is fine. Back to his reading, his friend Tom asks him to join him at badminton. No, he is fine. The next intrusion is a request to care for a doll in a baby carriage. No, he is fine. No matter, he is given the job. With each neighborhood friend's arrival, the alley becomes more crowded, noisier, and less conducive to the peace and quiet required for a good read.
Finally, at his wit's end, Albert slams his book shut and hollers at his friends:
"That's it! QUIET!!
For Pete's sake,
can't someone
just read a book
around here
or what?!?"
His outburst brings a quick end to all alley activities. Albert is finally on his own to read to his heart's content. It no longer has the same appeal. But, friends are friends. Soon, he is no longer alone. An apology is offered. Not without consequence ....
Absolutely wonderful! This is one of my favorite books from the spring season. Page turns throughout take Albert from the reality of his urban alley to the imagined beauty of the sunlit beach, where the activities of his friends play out, the noise increases with each new arrival and his patience wears thin.
Final pages return him to reality, and the pleasure of good companions. The pace is perfect, the characters full of charm, and their story a delight! I can't wait to meet them all again.
Introverts, unite!
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