Divine Ryans
The book The Divine Ryans, is based on a traditional family, steeped in long tradition and hierarchy. The Ryan clan lives in St. John's, Newfoundland, and is a study of the interaction between family members who are often torn between tradition, family loyalty, and the ongoing process of actualization. Donald Ryan is the editor of the local newspaper while his brothers and sisters manage the local funeral home. Draper, Donald's son, travels to the newspaper office one day to surprise his father with a birthday cake, only to witness something traumatic (a suicide) that becomes the genesis for his exploration of myth within family, coming of age, and coping with his father's death. It focuses on the idea that in all families, dysfunction may be the operant paradigm, regardless of the public facade that traditions and hierarchical structures point. As Draper moves to explore the events that surround his father's death, he finds that each person with whom he interacts has a slightly different view of Donald; making Draper question the divergence of reality, of who he is, and who is father was.
Coming of Age - Draper is 9-years old going on 18 in many ways. He is perplexed by his budding hormones, completely flustered and out of place with all things that keep him a child, and in the midst of an oddball set of relatives that seem to border on the edge of sanity. Draper is afraid, oppressed as many Catholic youth are, suffers from nightmares, guilt about his budding sexuality, and manifests a "momataur" (1/2 elk, 1/2 nude...
Draper is even more confused and perplexed by the advice, mannerisms, and remembrances from his Uncle Reg, an aging hippie type, and his conservative and devoutly Catholic Aunt Phil. Add to this the colorful members of the town and clergy and we can certainly understand why Draper has more angst than many of his age -- and it is this journey through this angst and remembrance, and finding out that adults do not always have the answers that eventually helps Draper move through the stages of grief and selective amnesia and come to terms with his own set of realities regarding his life and his father.
In many ways, this theme resounds with audiences simply because it is so universal. Some of the dialog between Draper, Aunt Phil and Uncle Reg, and even Father Seymour clearly shows that Draper's coming of age process is reminiscent of not only a number of literary genres, but the resisting, rebelling, and clear avoidance of adult authority is integral for an adolescent. Similarly, maturation requires the understanding of appropriateness of place and time, and the ability to circumvent one's own feelings for the overall appropriateness of the moment. It is almost a revelation for Draper to realize that he has attained a measure of self-confidence that allows him to more readily accept the role for which he is expected, as dysfunctional as that may be. In this, Draper's character is similar to many others -- he is both a product of his circumstance and his culture; Draper external motivators are the type of Catholic small…
