The Matter of Sylvie ~ Reviewed by Emily McIvor

Posted by Pearl Book Reviews Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

The Matter of Sylvie by Lee Kvern
Brindle & Glass Publishing, 2010. 216 pp.

Reviewed by Emily McIvor

The Matter of Sylvie is warm and vibrating with life. It is a story of family tragedy and learning to cope with pain. The story is about Lloyd, Jacqueline and their four kids. Told by turns in the voices of Lloyd, Jacqueline and eldest daughter, Lesa, the matter of Sylvie is unraveled with excruciating delicacy.

Sylvie is the second of Lloyd and Jacqueline’s loved and longed for children; the one whom they cannot care for. Her needs are overwhelming. We go up against the wall with Jacqueline as she does her best just to keep Sylvie safe in the face of Lloyd’s absence. His work for the RCMP, alcohol use and other women steal him away from his family when they need him most. Jacqueline loves him, though, and as he tells his own story and that of one of his most needy subjects, we come to love him too.

Lesa, now in adulthood, lives out the anguish of both her parents’ addictions as well as the confusion of a child whose little sister becomes institutionalized. She is bright and lucid, however, and it is through her that we finally resolve the matter of Sylvie as well as her imperfect parents.

This book expanded my mind. I came through it loving each of the characters and having intimately shared an experience that I might never have otherwise: the pain of giving up a child.

In The Matter of Sylvie, Lee Kvern makes readers feel. The texture of the writing is seductive, the insights shared with patience and good humour, and despite the anguish of the characters, the story atmosphere is lively and coursing with hope.

Emily McIvor is a reader and writer. She finds the exploration of art through analysis to be satisfying.