Bow Grip: A Novel [Paperback]

Ivan E. Coyote (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

Ivan E. Coyote is one of North America’s most beguiling storytellers and the author of three story collections, including Loose End, which was shortlisted for the Ferro-Grumley Award for Fiction in 2006. Bow Grip, Coyote’s first novel, is a breathtaking story about love and loneliness; in it, a good-hearted, small-town mechanic struggles to deal with a wife who has left him for another woman until a used cello and an acquaintance’s suicide attempt compel him to make some changes in his life. With quiet authority, Bow Grip is about one man’s true rite of passage—trying to keep the ghosts of personal history at bay with a heart that’s as big as the endless prairie sky.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* When Joey Cooper, a small-town mechanic, trades a beat-up old car for a brand new cello, he thinks he's in the market for a new hobby; for a man trying to pull himself back together after his wife left him (for another woman), music might be just what he needs. What he finds, though, is a lot more than he counted on, and a search for a cello instructor becomes, in a laid-back sort of way, a quest for personal fulfillment. Coyote's first novel--she has published three short-story collections to considerable acclaim in Canada--is gently written, with a leisurely pace that allows us plenty of time to get to know Joey like a friend. His journey, to come to terms with his past and to find something worthwhile in his future, becomes our journey. In this story of an Everyman rediscovering that life is special, Coyote is telling all our stories, and it's impossible to read the novel without feeling like the author has been sneaking around behind us, observing the way we live and the way we think. Not too many novels make a reader feel like that--almost invaded but in a good kind of way. Keep your eyes on this Canadian writer; with a little luck and some word of mouth, she could make quite a splash sometime soon. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Ivan E. Coyote is a natural-born storyteller.... This book presents a compelling, positive image of just what manhood can be.
—Rabble.ca (Rabble.ca 20070615)

This graceful novel's storytelling strength comes from the compassionate interactions of the warmly authentic characters.
―Books to Watch Out For! (Books to Watch Out F 20070419)

A page-turner that also mirrors the intricacies of life. . . . Coyote shows how two worlds often collide and combine -- how something beautiful can come of disaster.
—Xtra! (Xtra! 20090312)

(Starred review) In this story of an everyman rediscovering that life is special, Coyote is telling all our stories, and it's impossible to read the novel without feeling like the author has been sneaking around behind us observing the way we live and the way we think.... Keep your eyes on this writer.
—Booklist (Booklist 20090831)

An ode to the value of change and staying awake to possibilities, and a moving illustration of how chance unfortunate events can transform into the marvelous.
—Calgary Herald (Calgary Herald )

One of Billy Wilder's rules for writing was, "Grab 'em by the throat and never let 'em go." Ivan Coyote has a gentler approach. In her first novel, just as in her wonderful stories, she sits you down, takes you by the hand, and draws you in with humour, grace, insight, compassion, and conversational ease. Hers are the welcoming, confiding gifts of the kitchen table storyteller, and Bow Grip will bring many more friends into her circle.
—Bill Richardson (Bill Richardson Bill Richardson )

An unexpectedly moral tale with an undercurrent of humour and irony that is irresistible.... This first novel mimics her short stories in its quiet pacing, unassuming narrative and straightforward language. She has mastered the smalltown psyche without a single false note.... Coyote may have revived something literature has desperately needed for a while: the truly decent hero.
―The Globe and Mail (The Globe and Mail )

A heartfelt, amusing page-turner with characters recognizable from the working-class walk of life.
—TheTyee.ca (The Tyee.ca )

After three acclaimed collections that blurred the line between fiction and autobiography, coyote has written her first novel...This graceful novel's storytelling strength comes from the compassionate interactions of the warmly authentic characters.
—Book Marks (Book Marks )

First-time novelist Ivan E. Coyote proves that she's not only a sprinter, but a middle-distance runner.... [Coyote] is right at home with Joey's quest and his voice, and spins a fine, moving story.
—Matrix Magazine (Matrix Magazine )

After three acclaimed story collections, Coyote has written her first novel, a character-driven charmer.... This graceful novel's storytelling strength comes from the compassionate interactions of the warmly authentic characters.
—San Francisco Bay Times (SF Bay Times review )

Coyote is an important new voice, blending a keen sense of gay identity and community with a refreshing appreciation for the goodness at the heart of some straight people.
—Out magazine (Out magazine )

Compelling and honest.... Bow Grip explores intimacy and its limits, and discovers that those limits may be similar for everyone, regardless of whether they are strangers or family.
—Herizons (Herizons )

The effortless ebb and flow of Coyote's lucid prose distinguish her as a robust storyteller, unfraid to expose and delve into her characters' personal demons and life struggles. This makes for a resonant and significant reading experience. A finalist for the 2007 Ferro-Grumley Award for Lesbian Fiction, Coyote's debut novel is a remarkable accomplishment. Don't overlook this engaging stunner.
—Bay Area Reporter (Bay Area Reporter )

In her quiet yet powerful novel, Ivan E. Coyote has succeeded in subtly challenging the norms of gender and sexual desire.
—make/shift (make/shift )

Coyote envelops the reader with her warm characters, laugh-out-loud passages, and her descriptions that illustrate the complexity of being human. Recommended.
—GLBT Round Table Newsletter (American Library Association) (GLBT Round Table Newsletter )

A gentle, human story, both sweet and engaging.
—Canadian Literature (Canadian Literature )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551522136
• ISBN-13: 978-1551522135
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thin, simple, easy reading, May 26, 2007

By 

H. Harper "Paideuma" (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bow Grip: A Novel (Paperback)

While you do develop an affection for the lead character, and are pulling for him to make this journey of self-discovery in garages, blue collar restaurants, motels, "artists lofts", and rooms where he is offered herbal teas, the plot seems right out of a college sophomore writing seminar. The supporting characters have little nuance. It may be telling that almost every important "scene" has each and every character smoking cigarettes in the same way... I almost thought it was a deep literary device, but by the 20th scene like this it emerges as reliance on technique, just like when sloppy actors use cigarettes to disguise that they really don't know who their characters are. But it's got attempted suicide, dogs, death of parents, lesbian chic, white trash love, lonely gay men, and is better than TV and you can read it in just a few hours.

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, December 25, 2011

By 

Benjamin (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bow Grip: A Novel (Paperback)

Joey, forty years of age and living in Drumheller, Alberta, lives alone with his faithful dog, his wife left him just over a year ago - for another woman. He runs his own auto-repair shop and his work occupies him fully, and both his mother and his coworker Franco tell him he needs to get out more.

The day James appears at Joey's workshop looking to buy the old Volvo he has for sale everything is about to change for him. James offers to exchange an exquisite cello for the Volvo, and recognising that here is the opportunity he perhaps needs to try something new, Joey accepts.

Subsequent events involving James set Joey to worrying, persuaded by Franco and also to appease his mother he takes a few does off in Calgary hoping to solve the mystery of James, using the opportunity to return the rest of his wife's possessions, and look for a cello teacher.

Joey recounts the two weeks that set his life back on course, along the way filling in a little of his past, and introduces us the new friends he makes in Calgary. Joey comes across as a good hearted, generous guy with an open mind, someone who deserves to find himself and get his life sorted.

The story is involving, no major dramas but full of interest with a real sense of place and well drawn characters, but it is the writing the really grips one, confident yet unassuming and down to earth it reads with great ease.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Page -Turner, March 24, 2008

By 

Andrea Winterbottom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bow Grip: A Novel (Paperback)

'Bow Grip' is an exceptionally well-crafted debut novel in which the author, Ivan E. Coyote accomplished to weave the silk and cotton threads of her sentences to create a vibrant tapestry of chapters.
The story introduces appealing and intriguing folks that one might know as neighbours, friends or relatives who modestly unfold propelled by the author's impeccable observation skills and refreshing sense of humour.
Like a passenger on a bus touring gently rolling prairie hills, the reader stays connected to these compassionate characters, the heart-warming language and ordinary yet idyllic scenery page after page and realizes that it just plain feels good to root for the protagonist, Joey.
He is a car mechanic in his forties who gets a kick-start towards a major challenge by trading a beat-up Volvo for a cello. Witnessing Joey's journey might bring back the belief in all of us who thread our way to catch a dream.
Already accumulated accolades for this book: Winner of the 2007 ReLit Award for Best Novel, Shortlisted for the 2007 Ferro-Grumley Award for Women's Fiction and an American Library Association Stonewall Honor Book.
Watch for more from the author who may be destined to loop sky-high in the literary horizon.