In an early chapter of Lisa Moore’s new novel, This Is How We Love, our protagonist, Jules, sits beside her then-fiancé Joe at a family dinner. Jules describes the thick tension in the room as she waits for Joe to tell his parents that they’re getting married. When he finally breaks the news after dessert, Jules’ mother-in-law, Florence, is not pleased. Recognizing that their union can’t be stopped, Florence at least wants to prepare the couple for what lies ahead: the responsibility of raising children, the different kinds of family, and the necessity of love. To prepare her, she tells them the story of her past, beginning with her stepmother. In retelling this story, Jules conveys her responsibility within the family unit as a mother, stepmother, and caregiver, whose role is both unacknowledged and indispensable. Or, as Jules’ recounts: “What she was actually telling me? This is how we love.”

Three-time nominee for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, Lisa Moore is no stranger to the impassioned, local-specific character study. Her new novel concerns family, those we love by nature and necessity. It is the story of Jules, her son Xavier, and their neighbour Trinity. As 21-year-old Xavier is stabbed at a house party and left to die in a snowbank, the storm of the century descends upon St. John’s, Newfoundland. Jules watches video footage of the attack, and tries to make sense of it as she tries to reach his bedside during the storm. Helpless to his worsening condition, Jules thinks back to her mother-in-law’s words. Flashbacks that focus on everyday life, family history, and formative relationships chart a web of understanding that provides context to the attack, exploring their relationships and asking what it means to be family. The novel is further told from the perspectives and memories of Xavier and Trinity, an orphan who grew up in and out of foster homes before being adopted by Jule’s neighbour, whose tumultuous upbringing leads her to a world of crime, and ultimately, Xaxier’s attack.

In Moore’s examination of love and family, This Is How We Love becomes not just the story of one bloodline, but the story of countless relationships and intimate connections that bridge us together. The facade of the purely biological family becomes unwound amid tragedy, and we ask ourselves: What do we owe those most important to us? As the novel progresses, each character’s memories of love and connection overlap, providing insight into their relationships. Moore is an exceptional talent when it comes to extracting moments of significance and growth in her character’s personal histories, asking how their past informs the present. Her writing and dynamic exploration of character shine in moments of ordinary interaction, with characters expounding on their subtle passions toward one another.

Jules is a relatable character whose relationship with motherhood is an endless search for understanding and acceptance. Taking after her mother-in-law, Jules shows a particular interest in heritage, retroactively considering the influences of stepparents, foster parents, grandparents, and other loved ones that contribute to her being and understanding. Moments in her time, such as learning to paint under the wing of her mentor, and falling in love with her husband at university, play an essential role in this search. It is this passionate and searching quality of character that wills her to raise Trinity as though she were her own child. In her recollection, Xavier and Trinity are almost inseparable as children. Together, they inform the disastrous wrongs and intimate successes of her early motherhood experience. Through Jules, Moore explores how the experience of motherhood is a continuous, emotionally complex process of learning on the job. While almost every mother is concerned about making irreversible mistakes in child-rearing, Moore’s writing is especially endearing for her ability to shine a light on these insecurities with honesty and vulnerability. Moore creates a compelling and imperfect protagonist with Jules, but it’s in the relationship between Xavier and Trinity where her writing really shines.

From childhood, the personal histories of Trinity and Xavier expand and diverge. In Moore’s exploration of both characters, she considers the difficulty in letting go of the love and feelings born in past relationships. Once close childhood friends, the two slowly drift apart in high school. Despite this, they remain emotionally linked together throughout the novel. Xavier is a surprisingly mature and charming character for a 21 year old. He is not like the other boys in his friend group; he is far more caring and empathetic. Flashbacks from Xavier’s perspective bring life to the family dynamic and further accentuate Jules’ longing. The moments in which he retroactively displays gratitude for his mother are even more treasured, given their rarity. Moore ensures that Xavier’s appreciation for his mother is realistic to a 21-year-old boy by having him acknowledge these feelings rarely and almost never in person. Trinity is also an intelligent and resourceful character whose experience with love and family has been turbulent. As these two characters interact, it becomes difficult for them to articulate their feelings for one another. Moore effectively explores how this affects Trinity, a character who longs for connection and the stability of a family. When she and Xavier fall out, it becomes increasingly difficult to watch as Trinity becomes isolated and falls down the wrong path.

One of Moore’s greatest strengths is her ability to weave anxiety throughout the novel. Moore expertly juxtaposes Jules’ fierce love and devotion for her son with the feeling of utter helplessness. In doing so, she communicates the messy realities of tragedy. As she sits alone by Xavier’s bed, unsure if he will survive, Jules desperately searches for any hint of meaning in the nurse’s tone and each x-ray scan. These moments are where Moore most successfully communicates feelings of grief and longing, feelings so unimaginable that we repress them until they simmer and boil up inside us. The mounting frustration of not having her husband by her side, the video footage of the attack, and the snowstorm send her spiraling. This frustration builds to a climax when Jules is forced to leave the hospital and can’t return due to the worsening storm. Trudging through the icy, closed-down streets, she thinks: “I felt it was me. I was generating the storm, making it happen with my rage.” In the event of a tragedy, Moore reminds us that we must contend with the unfortunate fact that some things are just beyond our control. 

Moore’s exploration of family is commendable for its depth. However, her commitment to emotional realism has its flaws. This Is How We Love is haphazardly large in scope, unfurling in a non-chronological splash of events that aims to land whatever sticks. The novel engages a tangled web of characters whose stories convey the desired emotional realism of a family’s small network but don’t necessarily inform the main event’s tragedy or plausible circumstance. Jules’ circuitous and freewheeling monologues trace familial and constructive relationships, past and present, foremost guided by her stepmother’s heeding. While Jule’s guiding thesis is clear, the turbulence of her tragedy-stricken emotionalism extends far beyond the mark, dedicating pages to subplots and twists with little to no payoff. Early in the novel, we learn of a supposed curse cast upon the family by a woman in a yellow hat. Even though Jules insinuates that that curse may have resulted in her son’s tragedy, the idea is quickly abandoned. Further, the extended plot concerning Father Hickey, a pastor convicted of child molestation, has no relation to the story other than causing Florence to lose her faith in the church slightly. When the novel’s most exciting action occurs, it is between Xavier and Trinity. However, their experience is desperately outweighed by the time spent on Jules’ introspection. 

Despite its shortcomings, This Is How We Love is an intricately wound study of humanity, familial love, and relationships. Moore has written a poignant tale that speaks to the moments of joy and heartbreak that arise when we give in to that four-letter word. Drawing from a wealth of emotional knowledge, Moore writes to explore our own interpersonal experience, from our casual intimacies to our deep-seated connections, imploring us to consider: What do we owe those most important to us? What lengths would we go to for them?