FFWD Weekly
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Books by Alan Egerton Ball A Student of Weather by Elizabeth Hay McClelland and Stewart, 364 pp. Wistful is the best one-word description of Elizabeth Hay’s first novel. This book starts like a languid W.O. Mitchell tome and gradually establishes a mood which envelopes the entire plot. A sense of thwarted fulfillment binds the narrative and central character Norma Joyce – so much so that the heroine becomes an introverted and isolated victim of her own foibles and fantasies. This "Canadian" life originates in and is ingrained with the soil of the Prairies. From the Great Depression and dustbowl through winter blizzard and sudden summer storm, A Student of the Weather endures rather than engages her life. Though there is rebellion, there is little fire in her soul. Humour is a rare commodity, but guilt comes in abundance, especially repetitive guilt on a single life-changing event. Loneliness is seen as virtue, and unrequited love is a raison d’être. For all this melancholia, the writer has created an almost hypnotic need to learn about her central character by using a prose voice which develops such a sympathetic response that the reader almost wills Norma Joyce to be happy. Criticism could be leveled at the author for her love of lists and her tendency to belabour a point. But these are small faults. Remember your first love? A Student of the Weather never forgot hers. The book may not be for everyone, but a patient reader with a high degree of trust will be rewarded with a haunting tale.

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