Last Stop Sunnyside

"Last Stop Sunnyside," by Pat Capponi, is the latest book that I've read, and unfortunately it has been my least favourite thus far. Dana Leoni, who lives in a rough neighbourhood in Toronto, is shocked one day when a woman who everyone in her rooming house is very fond of, is found missing. The police arrive a few days later and say that she has been murdered, which stirs up Dana and all her friends. Unfortunately for them, the police are unable to find a key suspect, or any for that matter, which leaves Dana and her posse no choice but to take matters into their own hands. Resources are low for these folks, as they have very little money and not one car among them. Slowly, however, they start to narrow down the suspects, and eventually find the man, named Mallick, who killed their beloved friend.
The book was not particularily well written I thought, especially compared to some of the other books we've read (or are currently reading) this year. The author, Capponi, lives in Toronto, although has previously had a stint in a mental hospital, so she is good at explaining some of the delinquent characters. I was not very fond, however, of her writing style because she does more time explaining what her surroundings were like than she does talking about the murder and the potential suspects. I found myself getting bored at some parts, because I wanted to know more about the murder than I did about her drug addict and prostitute neighbours. On the other hand, her style is very detailed and thorough, unfortunately it was just not my cup of tea.
There are a couple of particular quotes that I liked because of the detail of the writing, such as:

"I still can't see, but it's true what they say about blind people, about their senses taking over. I know where he is, just passing the barbeque, I can hear him breathing. I gather myself together, ready to spring."

"Scattered here and there were there male counterparts, shirts grey with grime and dirt and perforated with cigarette burns; they mumbled to themselves, leaned against the mailboxes and street lights as if all their energy had deserted them."

"She even helped clean rooms that had gotten out of control, those belonging to paper hoarders or bottle collectors who were risking eviction as fire hazards or public health concerns, and she did it cheerfully, respectfully, without expectation of thanks."

I chose these quotes because they are very descriptive, especially the latter two, which explain some of the people that Dana Leoni got to know at her rooming house, and as you can tell they aren't the most privileged people in the city. These quotes are good depictions of what Dana is feeling at the time, and what she thinks of the people around her. I'm not sure I would recommend this book to everyone, and unfortunately it wasn't my favourite, but I'm sure the books in my later posts will be more fun to read.