Well I must say, the film adaptation of Miriam Toews’ All My Puny Sorrows, was actually quite faithful to the source material. Even after reading this book though, I still have no clue how someone read it and thought it should be adapted. Not that it’s not good! It’s just extremely glum.
As with the film, Yoli is headed down to Winnipeg after her sister Elf’s latest suicide attempt. Yoli just can’t understand why her sister is choosing to die when she wants her to live so badly. That’s a phrase that gets thrown out a lot in the book, and I imagine it’s something a lot of people who have lost loved ones to suicide wonder, too. But for as much as Elf has going for her, the daily pain of living is too much to want to go on. Throughout the novel, Yoli reminisces about their childhood and essentially how much she idolized her older sister. It’s like she can’t figure out when their father’s sickness started infecting Elf, too.
Yoli and her mother both know it’s only a matter of time, but this novel also paints a picture of how difficult it is to get mental healthcare in Canada. Not that I think the US is much better in providing the right kind of care either, but it’s very distressing for the pair. As much as I felt Yoli’s frustrations, I cannot even begin to understand how their mother is able to cope with such unimaginable losses in such a short amount of time. I believe it’s only been three years since Yoli and Elf’s father died, and then while they’re worrying about Elf’s second suicide attempt in the novel, her sister dies during a routine surgery. This woman is formidable and I can only hope I’m that way if I ever have to endure endless tragedies like her.
In the end, Yoli claims she will take Elf to Switzerland to help her end her life, but Elf seems to know that will never happen, and things work out the way she’s always wanted them to. It was just as distressing reading the events that played out in the film, and there were certainly tears. Despite the heartbreaking contents of this story, it was still very moving. I just know this isn’t something for everyone, but it could definitely be worth your time in the future.