The Wards

Award-winning author Terry Doyle offers heartbreaking and humorous insights into constructions of masculinity in this gripping family drama.
The Wards are a working-class Newfoundland family on the cusp of upheaval. The children are becoming adults, the adults are growing old, and the new dog was probably stolen. When a sudden illness forces the Wards together, can they finally learn to be close-knit? 
This unsettling, at times hilarious novel explores the instability of nuclear families and the depths of dysfunction.
Family is family—you don’t get to choose.
So what, exactly, do you get to choose?

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average rating is 4 out of 5, based on 1 votes, book lovers sharing their thoughts

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Oliver

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St. John's, NL

average rating is 4 out of 5

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The Wards

The Wards by Terry Doyle is a novel I’d been really looking forward to reading and it was such a great read. It follows the Ward family as they’re faced with the challenges that come with both small and massive change - especially the challenges that stem from their family already being rather dysfunctional to begin with. All four family members - Gloria, Gussey, Dana, and Al - are messy the way real people are messy with many complicated layers to them that can be both compelling and frustrating at the same time, but no less gripping. I really appreciated the honesty of it, as well as the details that went into making these characters feel even more real. I find that stuff as minor as an off-hand comment about what flavour jujubes a character likes helps to bolster the emotional impact of watching them go through later struggles. All in all, I think it’s a fantastic novel and it’s definitely going on my list of go-to recommendations.

I recommend this book.