The story of a bizarre Irish religious colony which immigrates to Vancouver Island at the turn of the century and of the present day descendants of the group.
Jack Hodgins Boeken
Jack Hodgins vestigde zich als een gevierd romanschrijver en korte verhalenverteller, wiens werken zich vaak verdiepen in de diepten van de menselijke ervaring met een unieke mix van humor, empathie en scherpzinnige observatie. Zijn stijl, gekenmerkt door rijke proza en ingewikkelde maar boeiende personages, onderzoekt thema's als identiteit, familie en de zoektocht naar betekenis binnen de vaak ruige maar prachtige schoonheid van het Canadese landschap. Hodgins' benadering van het vertellen van verhalen is diep geworteld in de observatie van het dagelijks leven, waarbij tijdloze waarheden worden ontdekt door schijnbaar gewone verhalen. Zijn fictie resoneert bij lezers vanwege de authenticiteit en het diepgaande vermogen om de essentie van menselijke verbinding vast te leggen.
It is the summer of 1956, and although Rusty Macken is eager to leave rural Vancouver Island – and his family – for university, the events of Glory’s funeral will not make it easy. Over the course of a single day, the rambunctious Macken clan gathers at the site of the burned-down seaside hotel that was once the family base to mourn and remember the glamorous city girl who married the wildest Macken of all but never quite adapted to their country ways. By the time the sun comes up on the following day, Rusty may have participated in something of a miracle. At the very least, he will have been forced to confront the uneasy secrets of his own heart. Compassionate, hilarious, and wise, The Macken Charm brilliantly captures the joys, the frustrations, and the rich human drama of family life.
Broken Ground
- 364bladzijden
- 13 uur lezen
Broken Ground is a riveting exploration of the dark, brooding presence of the First World War in the lives of the inhabitants of a “soldier’s settlement” on Vancouver Island. From out of a stubborn, desolate landscape studded with tree stumps, the settlers of Portuguese Creek have built a new life for themselves. But when an encroaching forest fire threatens this fledgling settlement, it also intensifies the remembered horrors of war. The story of Portuguese Creek is told by several of its citizens, including a boy trying to recover from the sudden loss of his father, and a former teacher haunted by what happened to the soldiers he led in France. With a memorable cast of characters, and by turns heart-rending and tragic, humorous and humane, Broken Ground is a powerful novel that immerses us in the lives of an entire community.
When an unknown woman steps off a beached Peruvian freighter and walks into the Vancouver Island town of Port Annie, nothing can ever be quite the same. Stalwart citizens, tired of their milltown routine, grasp at a fresh subject for gossip. Others are suddenly prepared to make momentous decisions. But eccentric old Joseph Bourne, who knows that the endless rain is going to bring a landslide down on the town, is certain that the mysterious woman has come looking for him. Jack Hodgins’ comic masterpiece is filled with social satire, and it is also filled with love, which permits this ordinary town to recollect the past with affection, and to begin its history again. First published in 1979, The Resurrection of Joseph Bourne won the Governor General’s Award for Fiction.
