Source: library
The Canterbury Trail takes place on the ski mountain at Coalton, BC, where there is one last snowfall at the end of the ski season. Many of the locals decide to go up the mountain and stay at Camelot, a shack of a ski cabin, for the weekend. Redneck snowmobilers, stoned ski bums, hippies, an urbanite, a real estate developer, and several dogs are among the occupants packed into the cabin.
I had the pleasure of hearing Angie Abdou speak recently at the recent Shuswap Writers' Festival (you can read my thoughts on the festival here). She spoke about this book and how she wanted to cram the cabin full of stereotypical characters (and their dogs) and have them burst out, in a way similar to The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. This is exactly what happens - a large number of characters are brought together who would not normally mix in order to see what happens. The mountain itself plays a huge role in the story and is like another character.
At first when I started to read this book, I thought that the number of characters was overwhelming and that I would have trouble keeping track of them. Remarkably enough, this was not a problem, perhaps because they were largely stereotypes and each had very strong voices. I really enjoyed how the characters developed and we got to see beyond some of the stereotypes. Many of them showed growth in their own way. It was also fun to watch them mix as the characters stereotype each other as well.
The story is very well told, with very rich and tight prose and description. I felt like I could vividly picture the ski mountain, the cabin, and the characters.
Just as a note, this book contains a huge amount of swearing, drug use and drinking. I am sure this was done to further the stereotypes, but it is on nearly every page.
I really enjoyed reading this book, anxious to see what stirring the pot (no pun intended) would come up with next. It is the kind of book where I do not want to say too much so as not to give away any of the plot, but it is also the kind of book I would love to discuss with someone else who has read it.
I am always interested in reading books by Canadian authors, does anyone have a favourite?
I would love to read this book...Canadian author and set in Canada, what more could I ask for. I'm Canadian and live in Ontario. I'm definitely putting this on my "to buy next list".
ReplyDeleteThanks for a GREAT review. When I'm done, perhaps we'll connect and discuss it, I'd enjoy that too!
Cheers,
Louise
Thanks so much. I really enjoyed the book and loved listening to the author speak about it!! I would love to connect.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to read my book and review it, Coreena. Thanks also for not giving away too much (I hate when reviewers/bloggers do that, even if they do give spoiler alerts). I'm especially pleased to hear you want to talk about the book with someone who's read it -- I try to write books that stick in the readers' minds and demand to be discussed. So - good to hear that, in your case at least, this one worked. Thanks again! -Angie Abdou www.abdou.ca
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the review, I enjoyed reading the book and hearing you speak at the conference (I was the one taking all the pictures).
ReplyDelete