The dramatic events of the present day unfold in the background of the novel rather than as the central plot. Separated into large parts rather than chapters, the narrative comes from Lisamarie as she searches for her brother, Jimmy, who is lost at sea. Robinson’s notable work before the publication of her debut novel had been a collection of award-winning short stories, the influence of which can be found in the structure of Monkey Beach. She told me that she’d studied the book as part of a post-colonial literature sub-module within English Literature 101 at university in Canada, which ought to give you an impression of the complexity of the themes explored in the book. Monkey Beach was recommended to me by a work friend, who said that they wished they had the opportunity to read the novel with fresh eyes again. An award-winning national best seller, the novel elegantly combines teenage culture with Haisla lore to tell the story of narrator Lisamarie, a young girl who is haunted by spirits who clumsily forewarn her of impending death.

A coming-of-age story told over the background of a missing person thriller, Monkey Beach is the debut novel of First Nation Canadian Eden Robinson, published in 2000.

Monkey beach by eden robinson