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Important Artifacts and Personal Property
144 pages, 2009
Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris met in a doorway on New Year's Eve, 1990. The next time they met, they were arguing over an egg salad sandwich. Lenore wanted to eat the sandwich; Harold was going to throw it out. From that point on, Lenore and Harold lived together in a beautiful apartment in downtown Toronto, although they never really lived together.
Their relationship ended dramatically when Lenore moved out of the apartment she shared with Harold and into her estranged father's basement in Montreal, where she stayed for thirteen months. One day she went back to Toronto, packed up all of her belongings, and left them on the sidewalk in front of their old apartment building on St. Joseph Street. After two weeks, Harold collected the boxes and put them in storage. He then moved back to his hometown of Winnipeg and began dating a fifty-year-old woman who owned a chain of pet stores.
Important Artifacts and Personal Property by Leanne Shapton is not your typical novel. It's a story told through an auction catalog, which is a fresh and innovative way to narrate a tale. This unique format encourages readers to explore the story in a new light.
The book allows you to dig into the complexities of relationships. Through the items up for auction, you get a glimpse into the lives of the characters and their relationship. It's a reminder that objects can hold significant emotional value and tell a story of love, loss, and everything in between.
Shapton's book is not just about reading, it's a visual experience. The images of the artifacts add another layer to the story, making it more engaging. It's like you're part of the auction, examining each item and piecing together the narrative.
As you flip through the pages of Important Artifacts and Personal Property, you'll find yourself on an emotional journey. The book is a poignant exploration of a failed relationship, and it might make you reflect on your own experiences. It's a testament to Shapton's skill as a writer that she can evoke such strong emotions through an unconventional format.
The characters in the book are revealed through their belongings, which is a fascinating way to get to know them. As you look into each item, you'll find yourself trying to understand the characters better, their motivations, their dreams, and their heartbreaks. It's a testament to the power of storytelling.
