The Wheaton, released late 2019, is a novel that explores grief, mortality, and self-forgiveness, following its protagonist, John Davies, after the death of his wife as he takes on a job at a senior’s residence called The Wheaton. By connecting with the residents, John realizes he has amends to make, and it may not be too late to seek forgiveness from both the deceased and the living.
The book’s choice of setting serves to challenge preconceived assumptions. In a place where many assume older generations come to pass away, there is instead an abundance of life. Residents are often raucous, vivacious, and unafraid to speak their mind. As much as they reminisce about the past, they also celebrate the present. Not everybody in the novel is respectful to elders though, and the book doesn’t shy away from including employees at The Wheaton who dismiss them.
The author, Saskatoon-resident Joanne Jackson, included these perspectives to challenge them and “to show that there are people who don’t respect the elderly.”
“They push them aside. They think they’ve lived their lives and they’re done, that there’s nothing more to come out of them. We don’t have to listen to them anymore because they’ve nothing left to say,” Jackson said.
Literature today often revolves around the lives of the young and bustling, contributing to the general consensus that being young is the ideal and getting older represents a slow decline to death. It’s hard to recall mainstream media that depicts the voice of older, contemporary generations. It’s even harder to find media with a senior’s home as the setting. The Wheaton manages to do this niche justice by lovingly capturing the eccentric and colourful characters of a senior’s home along with key themes that readers of all stages of life can relate to.
When diving into a new novel, a reader’s initial response is to identify and side with the protagonist. In The Wheaton, this is twisted as John quickly reveals through flashbacks that he’s not without faults, and at times is morally ambiguous. He’s been a selfish husband, an absent father to his children, and makes it known he resents having to support a family. Through his work at the senior’s residence, John is forced to confront his past actions, and by connecting with residents he gains insight into his own life.
Although John begins to see the error of his ways, the novel doesn’t end in his complete redemption. Instead, he takes the first steps in a difficult journey of making amends with his children who, after losing their mother, felt they had lost connection to their father as well.
As Jackson explains regarding the ending: “I didn’t want to tie it up with a ribbon and have a perfect package at the end. I never do. Life is messy, you know. Life’s a bitch, and then you die. He didn’t totally redeem himself, but he tried, and that’s all we can do in this world.”
On a lighter but equally important note, The Wheaton frequently features John’s canine companion, Clem, who not only thrives but also is treated to many walks. In a way, Clem was an homage to the author’s husband, and a way for the author to make amends of her own. As Jackson puts it: “We’re on our third border collie in 30 years right now, and our second border collie my husband wanted to name Clementine, and I said no. I’ve always regretted that, so I put her in my book.”
The Wheaton offers an intimate look into an older demographic that’s not often featured in modern media: seniors. As John allows himself to explore his past and tentatively hope for a better future, he serves as a reminder to readers that it’s never too late to reconcile regrets no matter what stage you are at in life.
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.