The Origin of Species

February 1, 2010
In his overambitious fifth novel, two-time Governor General's award–winner Ricci (The Lives of Saints
) introduces Alex Fratarcangeli, a 30-something Ph.D. student living in 1986 Montreal. Markedly immature, anxiety-ridden, and unable to complete his dissertation, Alex is in therapy after a bad break-up, and his interest in Charles Darwin and the meaning of life has him dangling in existential limbo. The novel takes the reader through an exhaustive look at a year in Alex's life—with extensive flashbacks—pausing to flesh out each minor player's tale in sometimes excessive length. Alex's general inability to move forward stems not only from his failed relationships but also from a summer he spent in the Galápagos Islands with an English researcher, and though he slides through a series of sexual relationships with a diverse set of women, it's a platonic friendship with a sickly young woman that brings out the best in him. Ricci's accomplished prose does much to mitigate an unruly story line and an overstocked cast; Alex's pathetic flailings, meanwhile, will, depending on the reader, either endear or annoy.

April 15, 2010
Canadian writer Ricci's fifth novel, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction, is a masterly coming-of-age story. Set in Montreal in the 1980s, it is the tale of Alex Fratarcangeli, a graduate student struggling with his dissertation, which seeks to link Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to human narrative. Alex's inability to make progress on his dissertation mirrors his inability to move forward in life. Though he effortlessly draws in a cast of colorful characters, he is unable to commit himself to anyone, in particular a five-year-old son about whose existence he has only recently learned. Two relationships among many, however, help him on his journey of self-discovery. One is with Esther, a young neighbor with multiple sclerosis; the other is with Desmond, an arrogant researcher whom Alex accompanied years before in the Galpagos Islands. Their obsessions and their fates illuminate for Alex the imperfect way that life evolvesand the necessity of living rather than just observing. VERDICT Highly recommended, especially for fans of fellow Canadian writer Alice Munro, with whom Ricci shares a knack for irony and a talent for characterization.Evelyn Beck, Greenwood, SC

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