This was a fasinating read. You get a lot of stories about what police officers do and feel but not a lot of what it's like for their families. The Observer gives us a look at what it's like to be a police officer's spouse and family. I really enjoyed this novel and suggest everyone read it. Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Canada for the advanced copy.

This book was not the mystery I was expecting. Instead it’s a beautifully described reflection of small-town life as the partner of an RCMP officer in the fictional town of Medway.

The story unfurls slowly; I spent the first half patiently tallying up clues and waiting for the crime - haha! Once I realized this was more fictional memoir than mystery, and the narrator’s voice became more confident, I was able to more fully appreciate it.

This book explores themes of commitment, sacrifice, depression/PTSD and what it means to truly stand by a partner who has pledged their life to helping others. It exposes the realities of life in law enforcement and the toll it can take, and also how this amplifies the beauty that can be found in day-to-day living.

As an observer, the narrator shields herself somewhat from the harsh impacts of the tragedies RCMP officers see daily. ‘Observing’ gives her permission to step back and attempt to make the experiences less personal. Though it’s soon clear that partners and family members feel impacts alongside officers - these experiences shape people, families and communities.

The story is particularly impactful and poignant against the backdrop of the Mayerthorpe, AB shooting of four officers in 2005, and the countless officer shootings that have occurred since.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Canada for the ARC.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75307947

The Observer, quasi-fictional recounting of a small rural town's seasonal doings through the eyes of a Mountie's young wife, proceeds toward tragedy with all the inexorable fatality of a comet as seen by those innocent of the scientific explanations.

In this pre-cellphone, pre-internet proto-memoir our narrator is, by her own admission, a out-of-her-depth outsider in Medway (a fictional standin for Mayerthorpe, Alberta). She struggles to grasp the local rhythms of life, the inexplicable codes governing what dish to bring to which potluck. A recurring temporary job at the local paper, The Observer, gives her more insight into the denizens of town and surrounding farms, and hands her secret after secret that can't be spoken of directly, let alone printed in the paper. Mysteries come and go, adding menace but rarely resolved.

The characters are mostly sympathetic, the prose often beautiful, the moments of joy in nature sublime... and yet the darker undercurrents multiply, expanding like the comet's tail in the night sky. The sense of impending doom thickens page by page, chapter by chapter, recreating the nigh-breathless tension of life in an RCMP household, of an RCMP career, and in a town where too many assholes have been tolerated, too many secrets swept under for far too long.

Something has to snap. You're just not sure what, or who, or how bad it's going to go.

There's no emotional catharsis here for the reader, just as there was not for the very real townspeople who lived through, and still live with, not only the Mayerthorpe tragedy but the myriad dark currents that swirl beneath the idyllic surface of small rural towns.

Julia arrives in a small town in Western Canada with her boyfriend Hardy. This is Hardy' first posing as a new member of the RCMP.  Julia feels like an outsider in this small town and this new role as a partner of a member. 

The story is told from Julia's perspective.  It is her observations of of her and Hardy's new life.  She describes Hardy's struggles with being a new police officer in an era where one didn't ask for help to deal with personal stress. 

For me personally,  I found it a bit slow in spots.  Perhaps because it is not in my usual genre of reading.   I still recommend this book.  It is a very well written realistic story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Canada for this ARC. The Observer is an everyday account of life in a rural town in Alberta Canada delivered in such a way that it captivates the reader. A young woman’s view of life with an RCMP officer, in a small town with so many different characters with so many issues. A great read!

Poetically written and wonderful storytelling here. The observer position of the narrator provides a unique point of view for the novel. I enjoyed seeing an Alberta town I know portrayed in fiction. Highly recommend for Alberta public libraries. Would make a great book club title.

A poignant story of life in rural Alberta as the companion of an RCMP officer. Contrasting the stresses, loneliness and worries of the family of the officers with the sometimes devastating effects of working in an understaffed, stressful, and sometimes unimaginable environment.

As the central character, Julia, begins working as the editor of a local weekly paper, she becomes more aware of the the quirks of the community. All while dealing with the fall out from her partner’s exhaustion, depression, and withdrawal.

While this was not my usual reading genre, it was an enjoyable and engaging read.

A solid 3 1/2 stars and a story that will stay with me.

Told with memoir-style writing, this book is fiction. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, if I’m being honest. It’s quite mundane, and almost too Canadian (if that makes sense). Even more than that, it’s specific to Alberta in a lot of ways and not just because it is part of the setting.

I ended up thoroughly enjoying it the further along I got. I loved the mundane things that happened once I learned about the characters more, and this, along with the more “action” side of things. With the MC and her common-law partner being a newspaper editor and RCMP officer respectively, it’s a slow but steady and powerful read.

Told in the first person, it follows Julia and Hardy, a couple that moves to a small town where Hardy is a RCMP officer and Julia works for a newspaper, aptly called The Observer.

➡️If you swipe to the last picture, it’s from Marina Endicott’s acknowledgments at the end of the book. I fully remember the Mayerthorpe shooting in 2005 and there is a part of the book that was reminiscent of that, as she mentions.

“”Some people are not cut out for this line of work,” He said, “too sensitive.”” It’s interesting to see how professionals looked upon mental health and how it was treated, in the not so distant past and probably some that still have this way of thinking.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “When Hardy and I first got together my dad had told me that the early days of love, that delight in each other, would be something to rest on later when times got hard.”

If you have ever wondered what it's like to serve and protect those in remote areas of our country (Canada) then this book will resonate with you for sure.
Hardy and Julia are posted into a little town called Medway in the western provinces. Every day Julia worries about Hardy's safety and if he's going to come home again.
It doesn't help that Julia has time on her hands with not a whole lot to do, so worry becomes her "job". Until she lands a temporary job with the "Observer". The community newspaper needs an editor/typesetter/reporter. As small town go, the paper only comes out weekly, so stories are gathered and published for the community. It's almost like a gossip magazine for the community, by the community. Add to this any Police activity in and around Medway and you have the gist of the whole Community News.
When Julia and Hardy start to obsess about all the things that could go wrong, you have the start of much mental anguish and I would even say the beginnings of PTSD. The stress can be debilitating. Hardy's work as an RCMP officer takes him away from home for several days at a time and Julia's imagination starts to get the better of her.
This is an interesting book to read and gives you some insights as to what life in a small town can be like, with all the quIrks and people with axes to grind and more. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone.


I just reviewed The Observer by Marina Endicott. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

This was my first Endicott novel and it was a welcome change of pace compared to the recent murder mysteries that I have been reading. Endicott expertly writes as if this is a memoir and although the story is based on her experiences as an RCMP wife, it is fictional.
In the 1990s, Julia moved to rural Alberta with her boyfriend Hardy, on his first posting as an RCMP constable. She watches Hardy get swallowed into his job as she takes a job as editor of the local paper, "The Observer." This role keeps her busy as life at home is lonely and money is tight.
The novel does a great job of revealing the stress and pressure that officers and their families were exposed to.
Thank you to NetGalley for offering this ARC in return for an honest review.

A thought provoking peak into household dynamics among law enforcement officers. Easy reading, no complicated plots and eye opening. "Thank You for Your SERVICE"

This book deals with the darker themes of suicide and isolation, and how those two often intertwine. It is powerful and sad. It is interesting that this is told from the point of view of the wife as she silently watches her significant other deal with the darker side of policing. How his kind and courteous nature is his own enemy. I've been in her shoes., not as the wife of an officer, but as the wife of someone suffering from deep depression. Endicott captures well that sense of silence. The sense of powerlessness as another suffers and we can't help. I'm glad she had the courage to tell this story.

This novel is somewhat difficult to review. On one hand, it is an raw and well-written depiction of the effect of the difficult frontline work and isolation that many junior RCMP officers face on their first posting. On the other hand, this depiction was also somewhat unrealistic. The author described the protagonist's RCMP officer husband as constantly working or sleeping and seemingly never getting a break, but RCMP officers generally work a four days on, four days off schedule.

In terms of the prose, the pace dragged at times. I kept waiting for something eventful to happen, like one character who was always filled with rage to snap. In this end this occurred, but only in the epilogue and it was very briefly described. For large sections of the novel, I felt like I was reading the diary of an individual who was a good writer, but who didn't have too much that was unusual going on her in day-to-day life.

Marina Endicott's "The Observer" was a must-read for me, given my admiration for her previous work "Good to a Fault" and my eagerness to explore "Close to Hugh." When the opportunity to dive into this ARC presented itself, I didn't hesitate.

Set against the backdrop of 1990s rural Alberta, the novel introduces us to Julia, a young playwright who puts her career on hold to support her boyfriend's new post with the RCMP. Endicott's personal connection to Mayerthorpe, Alberta, adds a unique layer of authenticity to the narrative.

The book's title rings true as we follow Julia through her life, often as a spectator/ observer to the experiences of others around her. She also immerses herself in the world of the local newspaper, "The Observer."

Endicott masterfully captures the essence of small-town life, immersing readers in a monotonous yet engaging narrative that keeps you hooked from start to finish. It's a brisk read, perfect for those looking to lose themselves in slow burn story.

The profound sense of loneliness enveloping the protagonist is palpable, as is her husband's downward spiral in mental health. The novel sheds light on the pervasive stigma surrounding mental health issues, especially among men, during the 1990s.

"The Observer" unflinchingly portrays the devastating impact of PTSD, emphasizing that its effects ripple through the entire family, leaving no one unscathed. Marina Endicott's latest work is an exploration of the human experience, making it a compelling and thought-provoking read.


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! It reads like a memoir but is not. It's fiction -- fiction that is rooted in the author's memory of her time as the partner of an RCMP member in Mayerthorpe, Alberta in the '90s. Any Canadian of a certain age can tell you what happened in Mayerthorpe in the mid-2000s. And that knowledge gives an edge to the book.

Our setting is fictitious Medway, Alberta in the 1990's. It's a story of the day-to-day life of our "observer" and her partner. It's a book where everything and nothing happen. It was impossible to put down.

*start rant* As an aside, I am very unhappy to see a 1 star rating and review that in part states the reader thought the book was going to be "a thriller about a cop and reporter husband wife team who solved a crime together" and was disappointed that it wasn't. In no way does the synopsis lead one to the conclusion that this would be what the book is about. To be fair, I frequently don't read the synopsis before diving into a book but I certainly wouldn't punish the book & author with a bad review b/c I was wrong about the content and ended up being disappointed. *end rant*

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada.

Unfortunately I wasn’t a huge fan of this. For some reason I thought this was a thriller about a cop and reporter husband wife team who solved a crime together but totally not what it is.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is a novel, but it reads like a memoir - it is very much a case of 'this happened, then this happened, then it looked as if this would happen, but it didn't, then this person left and then this person joined' and so on and so on. It was I suppose an affectionate look at life in small town Alberta and especially being the partner of an RCMP officer there. However, as we learnt over and over again, the narrator's partner was really strict about not revealing things about his work to her, so it was a lot less interesting than it might have been.

I was slightly bored throughout.

A raw truthful novel surrounding the lives of RCMP Officers, their family’s, and their community. The book was written from personal insight and experience living and working in a small Canadian rural community. I give it nothing less than 5 star review, and highly recommend reading The Observer.

This review is based on a NetGalley ARC, for which I thank the publishers and NetGalley.

It has been some time since I read a book straight through the night. Yet this is not a thriller, nor a novel that, is especially exciting or suspenseful, or anything other than what it sets out to be—an account of ordinary everyday life, set in rural Alberta. The setting, except for occasional prairie references and mentions of Edmonton and Calgary, could be any rural town where people work hard, struggle to raise crops and livestock and children, succeed and fail. Even the period is vague, though a few details, such as the absence of cellphones, the sparseness of the internet, the introduction of car phones for police and emergency response workers, and some historic events, establish that most of the story unfolds in the 1990s.

The female, Julia, is ‘the observer’ of the title, which is also the name of the small weekly newspaper that she edits intermittently. She takes the job with no experience (she is a script editor and playwright by profession), but because she and her husband and a bit later, their son, are always in debt and always cash-poor. In the latter role, she becomes the official town observer, interviewing, photographing, and thoroughly taking notes to write the stories that will tell the people about each other.

Observation is Julia’s approach to life as well as her job. Fiercely committed and deeply attached to her partner, Hardy, he is the central character of her own life. A cerebral former journalist, Hardy is posted to the town of Medway to finish training with the RCMP, to which he is a relative latecomer. He is everything one could dream of in a Mountie—a term never used. The officers and their families have their own code word, calling themselves ‘members’, a weighty category that signifies their difference and exclusivity from the community they serve. In many ways, the wives and partners—there is on,y one female officer and she is unmarried—are only honorary members, peripheral to the men they love (and serve). They are all portrayed as intelligent and capable, most of them also working in their own careers while ‘serving’ husbands, families, and the force. They are also members of their own group, in which they give each other the support, emotional and practical, that being attached to a member of the force demands. They fill in the missing details, as much as they can, about in the nightmare work their men perform every day but withhold from their wives, adhering to a dysfunctional code of manly stoicism. And their wives, adhering to a womanly code of silent unquestioning support, suffer the more for having to imagine what they do not know and passing their days in fearful waiting. The women are friends but the sense is that this friendship is born of their husbands’ connection and their understanding of the roles they are meant to play. They rarely bond except as wives or former wives of members.

The men tell few details of their own daily lives, which are regularly filled with death. Most of these deaths are themselves mundane-the toll of highway accidents is horrific, and ‘domestics’ are the most likely source of shooting injuries and deaths. Depression and PTSD come on suddenly and hold on tenaciously. They are caused by the pile up of these mundane terrors and triggered by what often seems insignificant. And every male victim, like every victim of crime or accident or mental illness, leaves many other victims.

Endicott, an acclaimed and much published author, tells a story based on her own long experience as the wife of a member. Much of the protagonist’s story is woven from her own memory fragments, and this is captured in her shifting perspective, sometimes directly present and observing, sometimes speaking from the future as she, correctly or not, remembers. I’ve always enjoyed her work, it’s attention to both the most ordinary of things and lives, and also to larger questions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, love and death. Her characters are not always likeable or admirable—Julia is at times annoyingly peevish, dependent and prone to bouts of overwrought self-disdain, as she calls it, while Hardy tends toward a remarkable self-centredness—but they’re very human, at once ordinary and heroic.

This was exactly the kind of well-written, insightful novel I've come to expect from Marina Endicott. Reading it, I felt completely immersed in the town of Medway - its charm and its dark side. As someone who has lived most of my life in rural Canada and worked at a small-town newspaper, I felt the truth behind the main character's observations and the events that unfolded.

Knowing that this story is rooted in Endicott's own experience in Mayerthorpe, Alberta (and knowing about the tragedy that later unfolded there), gives the story an additional unsettling pull. I'll definitely be recommending it.