Monkey Beach begins with Lisa looking out an open window at her surroundings as she copes with the disappearance of her brother Jimmy. Eden Robinson slowly unveils the details of the incident, but not before the reader learns a great deal about the protagonist through her reaction to the Kitamaat landscape. While Lisa gazes off into the distance, where "morning light slants over the mountains" (1) she is unable to escape the news from the Coast Guard. The landscape temporarily relieves her, providing a brief sense of optimism, as she innocently describes "the pretty, fluffy clouds" (2), which assure her that Jimmy will survive. Early on, the ocean is treated as something both loved and feared. The seiner is missing, but she cannot stop "dreaming about the ocean" (2). Lisa gives a vague account of the events that transpired the night before, but once she steps back from the view into the kitchen, the news is realized to be more grim than expected.
A description of the complex geography of Haisla territory helps readers understand Kitamaat, which has the aura of a town steeped in tradition despite its relative obscurity. It also leaves us with an unsettling realization- the far-reaching seas indicate that the prospects of Jimmy's survival are slim to none. Lisa's uncertainty, however, carries over to her subconscious: "The fog and clouds smeared the lines between land and sea and sky. He faded in and out of view..." (7) Rather than providing a simple description of emotions, Robinson deftly incorporates the beauty of the landscape. It serves as a gateway to the mind of her protagonist, captures the devastating circumstances of the event, and leaves us with the idea that nature is both loved and feared.
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