Monkey Beach

Canadian author Eden Robinson’s novel Monkey Beach (2000) is set in the village of Kitamaat in British Columbia, Canada. Kitamaat is the primary community of the Haisla nation, one of the Indigenous Canadian groups known as the First Nations. Monkey Beach tells the story of teenager Lisa Hill, whose brother Jimmy has mysteriously disappeared. In the aftermath of his disappearance, Lisa reflects on memories of her youth. The novel combines elements of mystery and the supernatural as it describes Lisa’s ability to communicate with the dead and connect with the paranormal. With a distinctive narrative style and gripping content, Monkey Beach won the 2001 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize for writers from British Columbia. This guide references the Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin, 2000) edition of the novel.

Plot Summary

Monkey Beach is written from Lisa’s first-person perspective. Its action primarily takes places in the past but shifts periodically to the present. Part 1 begins in the present, shortly after Jimmy has disappeared near the village of Namu while on a fishing trip with their Aunt Trudy’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Josh. She reflects on her childhood, including a family trip to Monkey Beach to look for sasquatches. Lisa’s supernatural abilities and experiences are discussed, including visitations from a red-haired little man who seems to be an omen of terrible events. Part 1 also discusses Lisa’s connections with her family, including her Uncle Mick, cousin Tab, and her grandmother Ma-ma-oo. Lisa struggles to find her place among her peers, but takes comfort in the support of her family, especially Mick and Ma-ma-oo. Part 1 closes as the narrative shifts back to the present and Lisa decides to voyage to Namu on the family’s motorboat.

Part 2 returns to Lisa’s past and the difficulties she faces as a teenager. She is devastated when Mick dies. With the help of Ma-ma-oo, she becomes more accepting of her abilities to communicate with the dead. However, she becomes a social outcast, gets involved in fights, and befriends a rowdy group of boys named Frank, Cheese, and Pooch. Lisa faces a series of shattering events, including Cheese raping her at a party, and the death of Ma-ma-oo. Throughout Part 2, in the present time, Lisa continues her journey to Namu on the motorboat.

Part 3 opens after Lisa has quit school, left home, and spent months partying in Vancouver, living off of a large inheritance Ma-ma-oo left her. After passing out one night, she thinks she sees the ghost of Tab. She returns to Kitamaat and learns from Trudy that Tab is not dead. Lisa goes with Trudy to a party where she sees Jimmy. He encourages her to go home, and he tells her that he has quit swimming after injuring his shoulder. Back home, Lisa decides to get her life together and finish school. Jimmy becomes apathetic, but also falls in love with his girlfriend Karaoke. Suddenly, the relationship between Jimmy and Karaoke cools. Jimmy tells Lisa he is going on a fishing expedition with Josh in Namu, but Lisa suspects that something suspicious is going on.

Part 4 returns to the present time as Lisa arrives at Monkey Beach. She finds no sign of Jimmy, but she’s visited by spirits and the voices of the dead. Lisa responds to the spirits, even cutting herself as a sacrificial offering, hoping to find a clue to Jimmy’s fate. Finally, the ghost of Ma-ma-oo warns Lisa to accept her spiritual gifts but not to hurt herself and put herself in danger.