Garbo Laughs
Garbo Laughs by Elizabeth Hay, published by Constable in 2004, is a 360-page novel that explores the life of Harriet Browning, who, having been deprived of movies in her childhood, embarks on a journey to immerse herself in the cinematic world. Set in Ottawa during the 1990s, the story unfolds as Harriet and her three friends—each with their own unique obsessions—navigate the complexities of friendship and the allure of film against the backdrop of a devastating ice storm.
Readers will find a blend of humor and poignancy as the narrative delves into the impact of two Hollywood refugees who disrupt the lives of Harriet and her companions. The arrival of a jaded widow and her knowledgeable stepson introduces themes of reality versus the fantasy of movie love, prompting reflections on desire and connection. This novel captures the essence of life’s distractions and the bittersweet nature of longing, making it a thoughtful examination of the interplay between real life and the escapism offered by cinema.
Official synopsis Publisher
Harriet Browning was deprived of movies as a child. When the chance comes, she begins to make up for lost time in a big way. Set in Ottawa in the 1990s, this funny and sad-eyed tale tells of a girl who becomes infatuated with the movies. Equally addicted are her three boon companions: a boy who loves Frank Sinatra, a girl with Bette Davis eyes and an earthy sidekick named after Dinah Shore. Breaking in upon the quiet backwater where the four friends live, amid the devastating ice storm of 1998, come two refugees from Hollywood, the jaded widow of a famous screenwriter and her movie-expert stepson. The pair are the embodiment of harsh reality. And in their wake come blackouts, arguments, accidents, illness and sudden death. What hope does real love have when movie love, in all its brief intensity, is so much the more attractive option? This brilliant and poignant novel, from the award-winning Canadian writer, Elizabeth Hay, is a seductive comedy of secondhand desire, the lure of the movies and the pleasure and pain of all movie lovers in thrall to the best of life’s distractions.
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