I finished up Run of the Town (Terrence West) which was a collection of short stories which took place in Hearst, Ontario. Fiction but based on non-fiction elements…stories of POW Camps and construction of hockey arenas and use of real names made this an entertaining read considering I am from the North also. The story takes place through the 50s – Present time and focuses mainly on a child named R.J. Martin and the book progresses through pinpoints of his life.
I found the book entertaining to read and I marveled at some of the story locations as I felt like I knew what they were talking about. For example, they have a part where they talk about Kapuskasing and driving by the airport at night with the beacon of white light turning every so often. I’m sure if I knew more of Hearst I would enjoy the book even more as he makes constant references to landmarks and influential people in town.
But this book is great for those not from the North either. It is a snapshot of time…stories of a child who grows up in a small town and finds things to do. He grows up and moves out of town to get some education. He returns to town only to realize that he is destined for something else. And in a very thought provoking final story, he talks about working in the government and going on a road trip with old buddies from back home and realizing that while there are so many differences between them now, there’s still something that has created a solid foundation; growing up together in a small town. I really reflected on my own life after reading this final chapter as it reflected much of my own life up until this point.
I really enjoyed the characters and the nostalgic feeling of the book even though it took part in a different time period than I. But it’s all the same in the end…while they sang church hymns in the backseat of the car because of a lack of radio, I sang along to Dire Straits knowing only the word “Microwave Oven” on the album.
Highly recommended reading. Makes for a light entertaining read that you can pick up whenever you wish as they are short stories.
iplaying: Crackerman – Stone Temple Pilots (Core)