Dinner Along the Amazon (Penguin Modern Classics (Canada))

In his first work of short fiction, Timothy Findley weaves an experimental mix of short story and stage scenes, culminating in this collection of twelve vignettes that each investigate the dynamics of relationships in all their various forms.

It begins with "Lemonade," as a young boy watches mother's alcoholism send her into a spiralling breakdown, mentally and physically. And then it moves, to another young boy receiving news of his father's intent to join the army. Then, to the man who watches from afar as his childhood love lives out her sad life. Whether a father and son, a mother and daughter, or a husband and wife, in these brief scenes, Findley endeavours to convey the weight and complexity of human relationships - in their beauty as well as their ugliness.