Drowning in the Wells

In the "capital of the free world", hunting down Paul Wells’ book (now apparently #4 on the Canadian bestseller list), is no easy feat.

I started my search last weekend when I was hankering for some good Canadian political nostalgia.

First stop: Barnes and Nobles in Georgetown, arguably one of the largest bookstores inside the District. I start browsing in the politics section – nothing. Then the history section (hey, the fall of Paul Martin component – is now one for the history books)… anyway, there I am in the history section, going through the different sections: South African history, Brazil, Mexico, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Hungary…. Hmmm … Canada? Nothing. Ireland and Mexico, yes… Canada, zero (For god sakes, it was almost like being at the World Cup!)

So, I decide to ask.

I aim low: “Do you have any books on Canadian politics or history?” “Uh, Canadian?” “Yes, Canada” I clarify. A brief look on the computer system reveals that the one and only book on hand was a book on comparing US and Canadian political systems. Oh and they didn’t have it in stock. I have to order it.

Next stop. Amazon dot com. Turns out that I can get it sent to my doorstep for $34.00 approx. American dollars at that. If I get it sent home to Montreal, I can have it for 21.00$. Oh and there is a review of the supplier to the US, from the last person who ordered, saying that they’d never buy a book from that supplier again. Hmmm… So do I get it sent home to Montreal and then resent to me in DC? Or should I risk the supplier for $13 US dollars extra? Tricky. Very tricky.

Not one to resist a challenge, I start asking other Canadian colleagues at work. As luck would have it, one of them had ordered it and finished it and offered to share it. Ah, mission accomplished!

So I delve in. I can’t wait. The last book on Canadian politics that I read as Susan Delacourt’s Juggernaut. And I just couldn’t put that one down. Nothing gives me more pleasure than getting lost in a really-can’t-put-it-down-for-a-second pager turner book. And that’s what Juggernaut was for me.

Now, as soon as I started reading, I can’t help compare Well’s Rise and Fall to Delacourt’s Juggernaut. Maybe that’s an unfair juxtaposition. Maybe it’s just cause the first time I met Wells was actually with Delacourt…

I was at some event for this Canada25 group that a friend of mine was involved in and she got me to come along to hear Wells and Delacourt talk about their experiences in political journalism. I know this sounds strange, but at that time, I had just returned to Canada after 6 years abroad (way farther abroad than the country next door) and I had no idea who they were. Despite my ignorance, I found them impressive: frank, honest, challenging, and well spoken. Balancing pints on their knee (well, Wells was…I can’t remember what Delacourt was drinking) and pontificating on the state of the nation. It was a nice. A sort of fireside-ish chat with the Canada25ers policy wonks.

So after all of this rambling, the trip down memory lane and the trials and tribulations of getting my hands on Wells’ book, I couldn’t wait for a moments peace this weekend, to finally crack it open. Imagine my disappointment that I can’t seem to get past page 6.

I find Wells omnipresent. He seems to overpower his narrative. I guess I was looking forward to juicy gossip and insights into the Conservative’s fusion and electoral victory – without having to think about how smart Paul Wells is every two seconds. And I can’t help but think that he’s really smart. But I just wish that I didn’t feel like he wants to make me feel that he’s smart.

Interestingly, though Delacourt is present in Juggernaut as a narrator, I didn’t get the same vibe. It’s hard for me to articulate and again maybe the comparison is unfair. However, I really want to get past page 6.

Any suggestions on how to get over my reader’s block, suggestions on chapters I should skip ahead to, or when things start to get really good (i.e. pages where Wells no longer makes sort of uncomfortable “look at how witty I am talking about Hannibal and the Rockies” references) – would be very much appreciated.