The Only Place to Start: Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

Author Origin: Weyburn, SK - lives in Toronto, ON
Page Count: 688
Genre: Fantasy Fiction/ Historical Fantasy Fiction
Difficulty: Hard, in a good, makes-you-think kind of way
Grade Level: 11 or 12
Key Talking Points: The importance of identity and memory, the complexity of relationships, the consequences of our actions
Sensitive Subject Matter: Some sexy times
Warning: Yes, there is magic!

There was never any doubt in my mind, when thinking about and planning this project, that the first book that I'd have to talk about is Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay. This is because it was the first novel in my life that fit perfectly into the kind of writing that I dreamt of doing myself and satisfied all of the requirements for my 'perfect' story.

A little back story before I talk about the novel itself:

When I was in grade 11, I took the grade 12 Writer's Craft class at my school. It wasn't easy being the only student younger than all of the rest, but under the guidance of our teacher, Mr. Fuke, I quickly felt a strong sense of belonging in the class. Our independent study project in the course involved a list of close to a hundred authors, of which we had to choose one book by one of them to complete a project on. It's funny that I don't remember anything about the project we had to do, but I vividly remember my experience with the novel. I went to Chapters and pulled down one book by each of the authors on the list, and I apologise to whatever staff member had to help me put them all back because they were from all over the store - a testament to Mr. Fuke that he created a list that was so diverse in genre, instead of just sticking with the typical, straight-up fiction. I read the first sentence of each book, and if that tickled my fancy, I'd read the first page. I had a few contenders by the time I got to Tigana, however, after the first sentence I was hooked: "Both moons were high, dimming the light of all but the brightest stars." (13) Two moons? Whaaa? And by the time I got halfway through the first paragraph and found a reference to eyes (my artistic obsession at the time), I knew this was the book for me: "And all the lines of light led to his eyes, to where he was sitting on the riverbank, hands about his knees, thinking about dying and life he'd lived." (13) I bought the book after reading the first paragraph. Halfway through the book I went out and bought everything Guy Kay had written up to that point. I had found my 'soul-author.'

In a funny side note, I was able to meet Guy Kay at the 30 year anniversary party for his Fionavar Tapestry trilogy. After he asked for my name to sign my book, we started up an impressively witty banter about names (also a key motif in Tigana) and the gifts and curse of a creative name, like the one my parents had given me. In the brief silence that followed, I decided it would be a good idea to say: "And now I want to tell you why you've changed my life." Followed by the entire story I just related to you above and a bit more, but said at high speed while anxiously aware of the long line behind me. When I was done my word vomit, he said something along the lines of "that's nice" and took the next person in line. Ugh. At least I think I only came off as mildly creepy...

So, the reason I love Kay's writing so much is that he takes a historical time period, a conflict, a culture, and he writes a fictional story within that world. The thing that makes it fantasy is that if the people from that time period believed in ghosts or fairies, they are a real part of life in the novel, not questioned or doubted. He creates the worlds in his novels with such loving depth that you can't help but be sucked into them. He also does this thing where he pauses for a moment in the narrative and zooms out, tracing that character's life down the years that follow the specific moment we just witnessed. He does this most with minor characters, and in that way the 'scenery' around the main action is fleshed out and brought to life. He makes you care about the nobodies of the book, almost just as much as the main players. And you will care about the main players too- you'll love characters you are supposed to hate, and hate moments where characters you normally love show their humanity in very poor decisions. This is the type of book that has you wondering where the lines between good and bad, right and wrong, are drawn. It is deliciously confusing like that. Also, as with much of Kay's writing, even at the end you get a sense that the story, the world, and the characters will all live on past the back cover. It is a universe independent of the telling,  but which Kay has managed to capture in a snapshot for you to explore.

Summary: Tigana is about a world in conflict, some obvious, some brewing beneath the surface. Two moons help situate you in the fantastical elements of the novel- this is not the world we know, but there are many similarities. Two powerful men control swaths of land, the spoils of battles fought before the time line of the book. They have magic, which solidifies their dominance. We learn about a choice made in war that caused the ultimate punishment to be doled out upon a whole culture of people in one of the provinces of the Peninsula of the Palm, and how that punishment reverberates in varied ways into the present.  But something else is happening, a rebellion taking shape with the help of a small group of people: some who have been plotting and planning for years, some who just stumbled upon something much bigger than themselves, and some that are forced into the conflict against their will. We see the conflict from the eyes of characters on all sides of the story, each perspective giving us answers, and yet making us ask even more questions.

After reading this book in grade 11, I was so infused with excitement I started trying to get everyone I knew to read it, albeit unsuccessfully. I would read it again twice before I finally found a reading partner in my adult life as a teacher. I asked one of my colleagues to give it a go, and I even drew out a visual character map for her to help her along with all the gods and myths and mortals that you are very quickly introduced to. It was so amazing to have someone to talk to about Tigana, but one was not enough. My father eventually read it, and then read all of Kay's other work as well, just as hooked as I was. I joined a book club and was startled to find out that many of the members were fans of Kay's work. Even my current neighbour is a fan. The world had finally opened up to me and the feeling is grand- but I don't want to stop there, I want you to read it too!

The thing with this book is, it is not easy to start. I distinctly remember on my first 3 reads wondering what the heck was going on in the prologue and first chapter of the book. Fortunately, I just pushed through, and that is the best advice I can give you. The prologue is about an event that will only make sense later on in the book, and the first chapter is a lot of the politics of the novel's world, being told rather than seen. Because you haven't been thrown into the world yet, it may not make a lot of sense, but once you get to chapter 2 and start connecting to a young singer named Devin, you can trot along at a decent pace from there. Then, when you look back at those first few pages later on in your read, it starts to come together and it is very gratifying to tie those loose threads of your understanding up.

There are also a lot of names of people and places that may also overwhelm at first, but again, just trust that it will start to feel more natural as you gain momentum.

My only other criticism is that there is a little too much comparing of female genitalia to 'portals' during the book's sensuous sequences- a portal being a key symbolic/spiritual item in the book, so it makes sense, but still just feels a little icky to me. There may only be one reference, now that I think of it, and very early on, but even that one is too much. Otherwise, the sexy times are quite tastefully sexy.

Final Thought:

I'd like to describe this novel using a kind-of cliche term that fits perfectly nonetheless, so please indulge me. This novel is a 'sweeping epic' that takes you across wide swaths of land, time, and emotion. It is very close to my heart, and I'd love to hear your experiences with it- good or bad.

📚 Ms. CAN Lit