Invisible Man at the Window

Invisible Man at the Window / Monique Proulx
trans. from the French by Matt Cohen
Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1995, c1993.
185 p.

I picked this book up at a secondhand shop, as soon as I saw it - I like Monique Proulx's writing but had never seen this one before. It was a fascinating read, a bit unusual and slow to get going, but definitely worth it. 

Max is an artist, living in a run-down apartment building in Montreal. He is inundated with artistic friends, young and old, all emotionally needy and seemingly dependent on Max, who serves as a kind of confessor, and his place is a bit of a flophouse too. People are coming and going, bringing Max news of their worlds as they navigate all sorts of ups and downs, mostly related to love and passion and jealousy and relationships of all kinds. 

Max uses a wheelchair, having experienced a car accident years before. And somehow this makes him into a saint that everyone depends on, although he is not mild or saintly at all. The story is told in a series of  "portraits" of the characters, narrated by Max. And they are all so messed up, so hapless, and Max so very cynical that it feels a bit heavy - where is this going? 

But it is going somewhere, and it's worth sticking with this story. About 3/4 of the way through, Max has a sudden epiphany, an experience that breaks his curmudgeonly self open, and it's beautiful. Then everything starts moving and all the characters come together, the ties between them become clear, and the mysteries of Max's past are revealed. 

The lives of bohemian Montrealers, the meaning of art, questions of belonging and family and love -- they all come together in a fascinating story. Many of the characters are a little unlikeable or prickly or so passive, but somehow this ensemble works and the flawed circle of friends ends up being engaging and memorable. If you have lived in Montreal you'll enjoy the references to places but this is really Max's story and he is the heart of everything - the rest of the details are just icing on the top. I'm glad I discovered this one!