Vancouver, B.C. - When I picked up my copy of Miriam Toews's book "summer of my amazing luck" I was ready to be "[seduced by] her tenderness, astute observation, and piquant humour", as described in the back cover quote from the Toronto Star. And initially the humour and the lyrical tone of her prose aroused my interest and sympathy for both Lucy, the narrator of the story, and her rebellious friend and mentor, Lish.