Throughout the novel, Lisa encounters demons, ghosts and visions both literal and figurative. Lisa’s self-sufficiency and strength of character later takes on new forms of darkness as she ages and applies her behavior to more drastic experiences. In one scene from her past, Lisa sings “Fuck the Oppressors” (a song Mick and his friends wrote) in the middle of class after her teacher asks her to read a passage about cannibalism among native cultures. Lisa emulates her uncle’s behavior, following in his image as a strong and opinionated young woman. We learn that Uncle Mick was missing for years, and was thought to be dead, before he turned up on the Hill doorstep when Lisa was a child.

The most important people in Lisa’s life are strong-willed and spirited, including her Uncle Mick. We are further propelled into Lisa’s memories where we happen to meet all of the book’s characters. At first, it’s hard to discern what this means for a seemingly ordinary novel, as Lisa admits that she’s not sure if she imagined the whole interaction or not. Lisa tells how she came face to face with the creature in this first dose of magical realism that Robinson administers to us. In the memory, Lisa details how her and Jimmy convinced their parents to take them to Monkey Beach in search of B’gwus, or the Haisla’s equivalent of Big Foot. Within a few pages, we are thrown into one of Lisa’s most distinct memories of her childhood. When we meet the Hill family, they are in shambles over the disappearance of Lisa’s younger brother, Jimmy, who is lost at sea. She begins her story at twenty years old as she’s chain smoking cigarettes in her parent’s kitchen. The book’s main character, Lisamarie Michelle Hill, is a part of a Haisla (or indigenous) tribe and lives with her family on a reservation in Kitamaat, British Columbia.

A novel of oppression, loss of innocence and spirituality, Robinson’s themes pervade the pages of Monkey Beach with a unique perspicuity. Monkey Beach is a coming of age tale that is told in a reel of flashbacks, memories and dreams. 'Monkey Beach' Grapples With Issues Of Spirituality, Oppression And Growing Up By Jaclyn Bauer in Arts & Entertainment on 8:30PMĮden Robinson’s Monkey Beach, the 2001 recipient of the Ethel Wilson Prize, was released as an eBook for the first time last month.

Monkey beach robinson