My Temporary Life

Martin Crosbie's My Temporary Life is a complex and dark tale of the life of Malcolm, a Canadian-Scottish man in the late twentieth century.  Crosbie delves into the childhood, adolscence, and adulthood of Malcolm as he experiences the hardships of his parents divorce, trans-Atlantic life (he spends his summers in Vancouver with his mother and remaining time in Scotland with his father), puberty, and his slowly developing romance with Heather which sends him on a suspenseful chase throughout Canada.

Crosbie's work is an addictive and fast paced read.  I found myself bringing this book with me throughout my travels to and from work in the city (and I rarely read on public transit).  However, at times it felt as if I was reading two different novels - accounts of Malcolm's childhood seemed to stand apart from his experiences as an adult.  In hindsight, I can see the connections between these two eras of Malcolm's life and understand that his actions as an adult may not have made sense to the reader without the context of his childhood in mind.

I admit that at first I was a bit leery of this book.  The beginning chapters chronicled a rough, dark, and violent childhood with vivid scenes of bullying and turmoil.  However, I became enraptured with Crosbie's portrayal of Malcolm's adulthood and a chase throughout Canada to find Emily, Heather's missing daughter.

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading Crosbie's My Temporary Life.  And, I don't seem to be the only one - many others have posted positive reviews of the work on Amazon.com.  I also happened to land a signed copy of this book... I am so glad I did as Crosbie's writing style and imagination lead me to believe that more of his work will be gracing bookshelves sometime soon.



Bibliographic Information:
Crosbie, M. (2012).  My temporary life.  Vancouver:  Martin Crosbie.