Our Animal Hearts by Dania TomlinsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book keeps reminding me of Jo Walton's Among Others, though when I've talked about that book with other people, I've come to the conclusion that I've forgotten chunks it. Here's what I found reminiscent: there's an abiding love of books; Among Others is set in Wales and Iris' mother is Welsh; there are magical creatures, seen by the main character, that we have only her kword to go on.
I'm somewhat familiar with the Okanagan area where this book is set. I remember vacationing there at my aunt's house when I was a child. The lake dominates the landscape, dark blue and cold.
Iris is enigmatic. She is both loyal and a betrayer. She is her mother's caretaker and is rapidly becoming her mother, complete with visions and health problems. Like all of us from time to time, she feels jealous, ambitious, responsible, irresponsible, scared, confident. She never doubts what she sees, that's the one constant in her life.
I'm still pondering the blue fish. It lives for decades in a mason jar with a lid on and without eating. I feel like I'm not quite grasping its significance. Thankfully I don't need to understand it all to enjoy it.
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