John Philip Riffice

Tolstoy famously wrote that “All happy families are alike”, but John Philip Riffice’s novel Dog and Butterfly proves that all good rules also have their exceptions. It’s a novel about a family that is, in general, very happy. The love between Jimmy and his mother and his Uncle Cam is tangible from the first page to the last. And yet it’s a very distinct, interesting family, with a story that’s worth telling.

I think it’s much harder to write a book like this. Fiction tends to feed on conflict, and as I was reading this book I kept expecting the conflict to appear. When Jimmy’s father died and he and his mother went to live with Uncle Cam, I expected the uncle to be abusive or controlling. When Uncle Cam died and left behind a box of letters, I expected them to reveal a deep, dark secret. But none of that happened.

Bad things do happen in the book, of course, like the two deaths I just mentioned. There’s also poverty, and war, and failed romances, but none of it is sufficient to loosen the strong bonds between the main characters.

The conflict in the book is of a subtler kind than I’d expected. It’s largely a conflict of human beings with fate, and the reason it doesn’t seem like much of a conflict is that the happiest characters in the book are the ones who accept their fate rather than fighting against it. Uncle Cam gets injured in World War Two and loses his chance at a great career in American football, on top of losing the woman he loved, but instead of raging against his fate he accepts it, realising that it simply opens up other opportunities, like the chance to bring up his nephew.

Most of us, of course, don’t have Uncle Cam’s attitude. We thrash around and flail against our fate, trying every trick in the book to get what we want. In this sense we are like the dog of the title, chasing after the butterfly because it’s the one thing we can’t ever seem to catch.

The fatalistic philosophy of “Everything happens for a reason” is a strong theme of the book. It’s stated by various characters in slightly different ways, and plays a strong part in the development of the plot, especially the ending.

Frankly I don’t buy this philosophy at all. I think it’s a corruption of simple causality. Everything has a cause, yes, but that doesn’t mean it has a reason. It’s easy to look back and see cause and effect in action and say, “Oh, it had to happen that way.” But it didn’t have to – it just did. It could have happened another way, with different effects.

Anyway, the good thing is that you don’t have to buy the fatalism to enjoy the book. In good novels, after all, everything does happen for a reason. The novelist arranges his characters and his plot to tell the story he wants. Riffice does a surprisingly good job of weaving a compelling story out of the unpromising materials of happiness and fatalistic acceptance, and so this book ends up being a very satisfying read, whether or not you subscribe to its premise.… (mehr)

Told in reminiscences, this novel is one person's story of growing up in 1950s Chicago. It is not a very pretty picture.

Johnny Ryba was your average resident of post-war America. Dad worked long hours driving a forklift. He was offered lots of weekend hours, but refused them all, preferring to spend weekends at home. Mom stayed at home, and started drinking. An occasional beer turned into scotch every day. Being the sole care-giver for Rosie, his younger sister who was severely autistic, might have had something to do with it. The parents argued constantly, but always behind closed doors and at night.

One night, Dad dies in a car accident, and the body is immediately cremated. Mom is forced to put Rosie in an institution, where she spends the rest of her life. Mom continues drinking, and the yelling and emotional abuse against Johnny gets worse and worse. He takes care of all the cooking and cleaning, because Mom is usually passed out.

In high school, Johnny gets into a relationship with Holly. He puts off bringing her home to meet Mom for as long as possible. He doesn't know which Mom she will meet, the "happy" drunk or the "mean and rotten" drunk. Mom actually quits drinking for several months to impress Holly. Johnny is unable to tell anyone, including Holly, about his home life, even after learning that Holly is going away to college, because her home life is similar to Johnny's. Later in life, after Johnny is married, he learns some really unpleasant things about his sister, his mother and his "beloved" father.

This is a really well-done, and really interesting, piece of storytelling. Words like "sad," touching" and "poignant" also work very well. It is also recommended for anyone who over-indulges with alcohol, and thinks that their drinking does not affect their spouse or family. Read this book, then think again.… (mehr)

"I guess what shocked me the most wasn't what Mom said, but more the fact that she sounded fun, you know, like Pops was." Page 64

Pops was always polite and a great dad...Mom on the other hand started drinking and made life miserable for the entire family. Poor Johnny Ryba.....it was difficult to have a mother like he did. He was thankful for his dad.

WAITING FOR POPS is a nostalgic trip back to the 50's with Johnny Ryba and his family. The book is told through Johnny's eyes as he weaves from the present to his past and is so well written you will feel yourself being drawn right into the pages of the book and sharing the experiences.

The Ryba family appears to be normal, but as you continue the nostalgic trip, you will see that the family would be called dysfunctional in today's terms...an alcoholic mother, a workaholic dad that allows work to help him escape the problems at home, a sister who needs a lot of care, and Johnny who has to deal with it all. Thank goodness he had his dad to help him through it...dad was always there for him whether he was actually present or not.

Johnny definitely had a difficult childhood...."I look back now and realize that I had more problems as a kid than more adults have as adults." Page 140 Your heart will break at some of the things Johnny had to endure.

The book continued with Johnny turning into a man...and that included swearing. I enjoyed the book...the ending will surprise you and is definitely worth waiting for even though it includes regrets, betrayal, heartbreak, forgiveness, and an ending that fits perfectly with the book title. Great writing and a great book. 5/5… (mehr)