Bill Gaston

Though it took me a long time to read this, that's not to say this was a horrible book. Actually, it's quite a good one, if a touch overlong. There's four stories intertwined here, between Stuart, who burned down his own house the day he paid it off, Mel who's dying of cancer, her father Hal, who suffers from Alzheimer's, and finally the book within the book, The World, written by Hal years earlier.

The characters, though well-drawn, still somehow feel a bit superficial. And the various stories do seem a touch drawn out. Though I liked the book and loved the twist at the end, I felt I would have enjoyed it much more if it had been a solid 100 pages shorter.

Still worth the read, though.… (meer)

This is story of three people who are linked by blood and friendship. Stuart Price has just retired, and as the story opens, his house has just gone up in flames -- the result of Stuart burning his just-paid-off mortgage. With no home, and his insurance coverage in serious doubt, he decides to drive from Victoria to Toronto to visit a dying friend, Melody, whom he hasn't seen for over 25 years. In Toronto, he becomes acquainted with Melody's father, Hal, who is institutionalized with Altzheimers. Hal wrote a book years ago about a professor who falls in love with a translator he hired -- a book which may be autobiographical. We learn the story of this novel-within-the-novel by Stuart and Melody reading it to Hal hoping to spark some memory.

This is a book of deep emotions, dealing with issues of loss...loss of possessions, dreams, memory and even life. Yet, the author writes his characters with a sense of humour and optimism that reflects the hope that keeps us going and allows us to find pleasure in life. It's a good story.… (meer)

Gaston is able to describe elements of the human condition in this book that seem to exist of the periphery of our day-to-day observations yet remain unnoticed until now. His prose is simple and easy to understand. Yet the scenes he creates are both familiar and surreal which makes his stories fascinating to read.

rel="nofollow" target="_top">http://pacifictranquility.wordpress.com/2014/08/18/not-all-the-colours-of-a-huma...… (meer)