Dogs at the Perimeter
Madeleine Thien
W.W. Norton & Co
With Dogs at the Perimeter, Madeleine Thien asks the reader to piece together the traumatic past of protagonist Janie, involving her escape from Khmer Rouge Cambodia to Canada, as well as the related story behind her friend and co-worker Hiroji’s disappearance.
Doing so is not a straightforward task, as Thien’s prose frequently alternates between clear narration and a more opaque mode which resembles the imprecise nature of thoughts, memories or even dreams. This particular style of writing is never accidental, however: Thien uses it to connect us directly with the main character’s perceptions and recollections.
Janie, who works at the Brain Research Centre in Montreal, is used to dealing with people who have memory problems as a result of brain injuries or disease, but following Hiroji’s disappearance – recalling Hiroji’s personal and very painful ties to Cambodia – she suddenly finds herself haunted by her own resurfacing memories of the events that led to her emigration.
Dogs at the Perimeter is a powerful expression of the intangible yet long-lasting effects of conflict, as well as their wide reach beyond the country in which they have originated, no matter how much we may try to avoid acknowledging their reality.
Words – Cristina Tomàs White
