In an evening of lyrical prose and contemporary poetry, three authors launched their latest works in Sechelt last Oct. 10.
Pender Harbour author Theresa Kishkan paints a picture of a time gone by in her latest novel The Age of Water Lilies, published by Victoria's Brindle & Glass. The story moves through two eras: the early 20th century when genteel settlers in Walhachin B.C. grew orchards and longed for the gardens of their English homes, and the changing Victoria of the 1960s as seen through the eyes of a seven year old.
"Has anyone heard of Walhachin?" asked Kishkan at the book launch. Very few had and it is a tribute to her ability with historical research that the story of a forgotten town near Ashcroft could offer such rich material.
The book unfolds deliberately like a grandfather clock ticking as it follows the life of Flora Oakden, a pioneer who falls in love with a ranch hand only to learn that he has been slaughtered in World War I along with her two brothers. Alone, unmarried and pregnant, she endures the shame of a small town and the censure of her parents in England by keeping the baby. She moves to Victoria, where she is taken in by a kindly, vibrant woman, Ann, who is also widowed by war. The two realize the senselessness of any conflict that has made victims of all women, especially the wives and mothers of soldiers.
The characters, ranch hand and lady alike, speak in the elegant, formal prose of a pre-war era, and this stylized language continues into the 1960s when it is the turn of young Tessa and her father to talk about their neighbourhood in Victoria. The speech seems old-fashioned, but it suits the pace of the book and the sterling qualities of the characters.
At the same book launch, Joe Denham, fisherman and poet, also launched his new book Windstorm (Nightwood Editions). Publisher Silas White introduced him with accolades as part of a new generation who grew up on the Coast and who have gained recognition on the national scene.
Windstorm is one book-length poem, divided into sections, that speeds through work, pain, love and savage nature.
"South of Black Point," Denham writes, "southeast wind screaming/ the shadow of death in my eyes, seven days into storm"
We expect the language of the worker to be simple and concrete, but this book is an anomaly. The passion is frequently contained in classical, scholarly forms the first section is confined to three line stanzas called tercets or terza rima in the manner of the poet Dante. It is not easily accessible poetry. It is chaotic and fierce, like the weather it describes. However, if you lean into it hard enough you will see the forests swaying and falling, hear the sea rumbling and imagine the many creatures, whales and crustaceans, floating beneath.
Vancouver poet Gillian Jerome also read from her debut poetry book, Red Nest (Nightwood Editions). She roams easily through both outdoor and urban landscapes, through topics that range from the birth of her child, Firstborn, to brief, cogent observations on domestic chores. In one poem, Unknown Girl from Bountiful, she goes deep into a perspective as it might appear for a sister-wife in a polygamous, fundamentalist sect. Her observations remind the reader that all things are interconnected.
The Age of Water Lilies is available for $19.95, Windstorm and Red Nest for $17.95 each from local bookstores. .
