Sprawling family’s cottage life complicated

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/06/2023 (1210 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three generations of the Murphy family are spending time at their family cottage at East Grand Lake. As with all families, there are sibling grudges going back decades mixed with the challenges of present-day life. Tim Ryan’s debut novel, East Grand Lake, is sure to stir up memories for anyone who’s spent time at a family cottage.

Ryan, who lives in Calgary, is the winner of the Alberta Views short story contest. His stories have also appeared in other Canadian publications.

One of the missing pieces in this novel is a family tree showing the relationships between Grandpa Murphy (known as the Doctor) and his wife Grammy Betsey, their children and grandchildren. While a few of the book’s many characters stand out, the links between others aren’t shown very clearly.

One of the main characters is Shayne, a young teen who arrives at the cottage with his mother and eight-year-old sister Emm. The family has travelled for days to reach East Grand Lake yet when they get there, Shayne refuses to leave the station wagon. Over the next day, he watches his sister play with her cousins, speaks with his grandfather through the car window and tolerates the threats of a bully who bangs on the car in a futile attempt to drive Shayne out. Shayne reads comics, eats the food his mother brings him and sneaks out for bathroom breaks, but spends much of his time mulling over his relationship with his father.

Shayne’s been visiting a counsellor after he kicked a hole in a school wall. He describes his anxiety as a ball in his chest that swells or shrinks according to the nature of his thoughts. It gradually becomes clear Shayne had an extremely loving relationship with his father, who suffered from bipolar disorder. Shayne doesn’t know exactly what caused his father’s moods to swing from manic activity to withdrawn depression, but he’s trying to understand why he died. It’s a tough situation for a sensitive youth to handle.

In another chapter, eight-year-old Rory is tasked with guarding a fort his cousins built in the forest. Unfortunately, he has recently read a book about bears, and has a very fertile imagination. Armed with only a hockey stick, Rory fears the worst. “If a bear came at him, and he had to use the hockey stick, he’d have to get close enough to smell the bear’s breath, feel the bear’s fur, hear the bear’s growls. Even with a hockey stick, he didn’t like his chances.” Ryan shares the youngster’s thought processes, triggering similar memories for anyone who once also feared the woods and its creatures.

Another well-written scene involves the Doctor and his nine-year-old grandson Finn swimming along the lake’s shoreline to a nearby beach. Finn fears he might not have the strength needed for this distance but wants to swim with his grandfather. Along the way, the Doctor shares memories of when his daughter — Finn’s mother — first met Finn’s father. Finn’s father now has a serious health condition, which isn’t named, and his physical and mental functions are impaired. The Doctor knows Finn has to endure teasing about his father, and he comforts Finn by reminding him that his father still loves him.

Ryan skilfully creates the young Murphy cousins’ thoughts and dialogue as they catch frogs, cannonball off the dock and practise their acts for a family talent show. However, East Grand Lake’s characters’ interactions would be easier to follow if the large family’s exact relationships were known.

Andrea Geary is a freelance writer in Winnipeg.