SPINNING ON A BARSTOOL

Canadian author Toews shares stories of her time as a bar server in this memoir.

The Bone, “where the barstools sustain the soul,” is a long, tall table and centerpiece of Corky’s, a neighborhood pub in British Columbia’s Chilliwack River Valley. Another staple of the place is Toews, an employee who sees and hears all. In this memoir, she shares some of her patrons’ most iconic tales. In the true spirit of a classic bar story, the author admits that she may have had to use her “imagination to paint a picture” at times, and that the “stories shared with me by others are as true as they were in their telling.” Corky’s eclectic regulars all seem willing to share their woes and triumphs with Toews: “I pour them pints,” she writes; “they pour out their lives.” The pub’s undisputed main character, though, is a mysterious millionaire whom the author calls Daryl; she notes that some names and other details of her recollections have been changed.He introduced Toews to his world of private jets and international business, which included VIP seats at American football games.“Daryl’s days at the pub grew longer, and our conversations grew deeper,” Toews writes, and he soon solicited investors for a massive local casino deal. After she invested her money with Daryl, it became clear that he wasn’t who he seemed, and the clientele of Corky’s grappled with the betrayal. Although this work is nonfiction, Toews’ engaging writing style makes it read like a novel, with rich dialogue and grandiose storytelling that’s full of plot twists; it also features a varied menagerie of characters. The book offers insights into the author’s Anglican religious beliefs,as well as her admiration for the controversial Canadian conservative commentator Jordan Peterson. At more than 500 pages, however, the book is a bit unwieldy; it might have benefited from being divided into multiple volumes.

An overlong but often absorbing story of scandal, community, and friendship.