What's wrong with punctuation marks? by Leanne Dyck

(rock art by Byron Dyck. Photo by Leanne Dyck)

There are many similarities between Cockroach by Rawi Hage and Caught by Lisa Moore. Both books are set in Canada, both were written by authors at the top of their game, both protagonists are skirting the law and both books don't contain a single quotation mark -- or a pair. None. Zip. Zero. 

Why?

When Lisa Moore was asked why. This is what she said: (link) (She talks about her reasons at the end of the interview.)

Lisa Moore believes that not using quotation marks gives the reader freedom to exercise their creativity.  

But I think quotation marks perform a useful service. They keep things contained, they make things easier for the reader. 

Quotation marks are visual cues that isolate one group of words in a text from another group. The isolated groups may be the exact words of a speaker, or writer, titles of various kinds, or words used in a special sense. 

- Handbook for Writers by Jane Flick and Celia Willward (p. 173)

Of course, just because quotation marks make things easier for readers doesn't mean that the same goes for writers. In fact, in English Grammar for Dummies, Geraldine Woods writes that the rules for properly using quotation marks 

'[I]s a list even longer than the nation's tax laws.' (p. 151)

But she adds...

'[Q]uotation rules aren't as hard to follow as the regulations set by that beloved government agency, the Internal Revenue Service.' (p. 151)

As you can see this topic is deeply personal to me.

I like punctuation marks. I'm a punctuation marks type of gal.

I'm not alone...

Nonen Titi writes:  'Quotation marks are vitally important.'

In fact, I've fallen deeply, passionately in love with the em dash. At times, driven by this passion, I've tried to squeeze one of these slim, striking, versatile, useful lines into every sentence.

'The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons -- in each case to slightly different effect.'  - the punctuation guide

People have tried to "help" me control my passion for the em dash. In fact, Jane Flick and Celia Millward (remember them?) write...  

'Properly used, the dash adds variety and lightness to writing; improperly used or overused, it gives the impression that the writer is flighty or disorganized. Use the dash, but sparingly, and not as a substitute for clear thinking and well-constructed sentences.' (p. 167)

Flighty? Flighty? Disorganized, sure. But flighty. Okay, so, maybe they have a point. And, so, from now on I will try to control my passion. But starting sentences with 'And' or 'But' that looks really cool, now -- doesn't it?

How do you feel? Do you love punctuation marks as much as I do? What writing no-nos do you commit?

(photo by Leanne Dyck)

(photo by Leanne Dyck)

Book Review: Caught by Lisa Moore

After reading and raving about February by Lisa Moore (here's the link to my review), I leapt at an opportunity to meet her in person. (I write about that experience here.) And that's how I got this...

Buy this book

Book blurb:  It's June 1978, and David Slaney can be sure of only one

thing. He can't get caught; not this time. He's escaped from prison and has got to make

good on the heist that went wrong, win back the woman he loves, and make a big enough

profit to buy himself a new life. First, though, he must get himself across a vast country

full of watchful eyes, booby traps, and friends who might be foes. And then, on to Colombia,

where the real test of his mettle begins.

Here are bravado and betrayal, bad weather and worse seas, love, lust, undercover agents,

the collusion of governments, innocence and the loss thereof, and many, many bales of

marijuana. Here, too, si the seeming invincibility of youth and all the folly that it allows.

Caught is exuberant, relentlessly suspenseful, and utterly unique -- an adventure novel the way

only Lisa Moore could write it. 

As I begin to read, Simon and Garfunkel's "Look for  America" plays sweetly in the background. And I am Caught by caught. Before I knew it, I was well into the thick of the story.

The last book I reviewed, for this blog, was Cockroach by Ravi Hage. Whereas Cockroach is about someone living on the fringes of society -- abandoned. Caught is about someone living on the fringes of society -- lionized. 

And we readers too are charmed by Slaney.
I wonder why? Is it because we unaware of his crime or has it more to do with passages like this...

'He was plagued by a premonition of being caught.  As if his capture belonged to him, responsibility he'd been born into, like a title or a crown.' (p. 23)

Watching Slaney struggling to free himself is like watching a rabbit struggle to pull his leg free of the trap. You can't but long for his release.

The theme of being caught -- unwanted pregnancy, serving jail time, etc. -- resounds throughout this book.  

'A fish in one of the buckets on the old man's boat wiggled violently. It bent itself

double and bent back the other way and threw itself up in the air and landed

on the gunwale ... It must have been dead and come back to life and it

lauded on the gunwale and was astonished and then it rolled over and fell

into the water.' (p. 171)

What can we learn from the fish?

Possibly... You can be caught. You can think all is over, but if you continue to believe. If you put forth a might effect. If you strive unceasing for your goal. You can win your freedom. 

My favourite quote...

'The best stories, he thought, we've known the end from the beginning.' (p. 272)

And to summarize this book...

It is a tale of...
two friends:  one of privilege,  one not.
two criminals:  one of privilege, one not.
two justices:  one for the privileged; one for the unprivileged.

'Slaney found...the door was closed.... He wondered if Hearn was on the other side.' (p. 316)

More about Moore and Caught...


YouTube video:  Lisa Moore talks about Caught (a short interview -- approximately 8 minutes long)

YouTube video:  Lisa Moore talks about and gives an author reading from Caught (approximately 50 minutes)

YouTube video:  Lisa Moore and Caught at the Scotiabank Gillar (approximately 3 minutes)

first slug of the year

photo by Leanne Dyck