The Disappeared by Kim Echlin

Time just flies and I've been meaning to write ... Spent Halloween night at Harbourfront, listening to the Giller Prize finalists at the International Festival of Authors. Truly inspiring.

I was so thrilled that Kim Echlin was nominated. She was one of my favourite Creative Writing teachers at U of T. Kim's calm confidence, enthusiasm, pertinent comments on our writing, and warm encouragement left an everlasting impression on me.

Just finished reading The Disappeared. I've always been partial to Kim's writing style. Kind of haunting, intense, and lyrical. In my opinion, this book is her best. The main character is a Canadian woman whose passion for a Cambodian man is overwhelming, obsessive. She learns to speak the language of her lover and searches for him in his country. As the story unfolds, we discover a world of atrocities, of lives squashed like flies, of helplessness. It's a powerful story of love and loss. I can already imagine it being made into a movie.

Here's the Globe review of The Disappeared.

Fall at the farm

I've always loved fall, its colourful carpet of dried leaves spread along sidewalks and parks, the cool air that lifts up the damp smell from the warm soil, the melancholy of trees shedding their lacy pattern of leaves. Fall seems to be a time to reflect, and it was with much anticipation that I left the city to spend a few days at Judy's farm.

We went for long walks. Along the lake, we sat down and listened to waves lapping against the dock, against the rocks. Their gentle rhythm is mesmerizing, bringing calmness to agitated minds, clarity in complicated thoughts.

In the forested area, it was fascinating to see perfect dots of dew sitting on bright red maple leaves. Those pearly dewdrops have something so magical about them when they shimmer. I held one leaf and saw an enchanted world through the clear droplets, reminding me of a verse from Blake's poem, Auguries of Innocence:

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

Observing the wonders of nature brings such a visceral need to connect to ourselves, to let go of pressures, worries, and let nature's self-sufficiency inspire us to trust our instincts. If we do listen, perhaps we'll hear the heaven within us.

Insularitudes de Paul Comarmond

"Près d’une personne sur dix sur la planète habite une île soit près de 600 millions d’individus. Peuplées au fil des siècles par des migrations maritimes et la réalité des exigences du moment, ces îles et ces archipels forment aujourd’hui près d’un quart des états souverains du monde. Un sixième de l’espace habitable et leurs zones économiques est composé d’îles. Elles sont les points chauds de la biodiversité mais aussi de tensions politiques; elles offrent des sociétés et des espaces distincts dans un monde de plus en plus homogène et sans géographie particulière.

Cependant, les sciences humaines et sociales ne semblent pas s’être intéressées à la dimension artistique de la réalité îlienne. Or, Paul Comarmond est né dans une île; ses ancêtres sont venus d’autres régions en cabotant d’île en île. Et finalement, là où il se sent bien, où il puise son inspiration, c’est surtout dans une île. Insularitudes, concept créé par l’artiste il y a près d’un an, est le fruit d’un périple allant de l’Océan Indien à Terre Neuve jusqu’au Labrador. Une trentaine d’aquarelles pour voyager et tâter le pouls de ces régions, tantôt tropicales tantôt glacées mais toujours intenses."


Paul Comarmond, a talented Toronto artist and friend, is showing his watercolours at the Francophone Centre, 20 Lower Spadina from October 5th to 31st.

Paul paints islands, their lopsided houses, their expressive people, their fishing boats, and the ever-present sea with simplicity, yet with details that show his sensitivity to their uniqueness. From the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, from tropical Seychelles, Madagascar, to freezing Newfoundland and Labrador, he takes us on a pleasant and engaging adventure with his confident brushstrokes.

Paul's love of islands goes deeper. He was born on one. Mauritius. But he also sees islands from a global perspective. In his invitation above, we are told islands occupy one sixth of habitable land, that one out of ten people in this world lives on an island, that they are hot spots for biodiversity, and offer distinct societies ...

Food for thought. So, let's embark on this journey and discover these islands with Paul. The Francophone centre is only steps away from Harbourfront. After you feast your eyes and perhaps buy one of his paintings, and you still haven't had enough of islands, you can take the ferry and head off to Centre Island, our own Toronto one ... yeah!

Open Mike with Anthony Abbatangeli

Anthony Abbatangeli, a very kind friend and excellent guitarist is hosting an open mike at Regal Heights Bistro every Thursday evenings from 8 pm to midnight. His band Double A Jazz also performs there during Sunday brunches.

For those who live in Toronto and surrounding area, whether they're aspiring musicians, singers, or just want to have a fun evening filled with music, here's the chance to let it all out.

I'm dusting off the old guitar, and doing some voice exercises - embarrassingly pathetic right now but hey, it feels good singing ... takes the blues away. See you there.

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis

September seems to be for book reviews. Here's one more on my friend Terry Fallis's book.

It's been over a year since Terry won the Leacock Award for Humour. You can read more on his blog about his incredible journey. I've been slow to post a review but I think Terry will forgive me as he knows I'm a big fan and have sent his book around the world to friends in Mauritius, Paris, Washington and Shenzhen.

Terry's climb to literary stardom is the kind fairy tales are made of. I read The Best Laid Plans when it was self-published, and tentatively making its way into the literary market, way before the euphoria of the Leacock Award, before it went mainstream with McClelland and Stewart.

I'm usually not keen about reading books on politics. But since our sons are on the same hockey team, and Terry is such a nice guy, the quintessential Canadian man, so polite, smart and witty, I thought I should read it. And I'm glad I did.

The political background of the book was just the kind of stuff I could handle. Irreverent, and sometimes stretched to the absurd. I had such good laughs, even feeling some kind of fellowship with melon throwers - I bet many readers share the secret desire to throw melons at pompous and vacant political figures. The satire that ran throughout the book brought much insight into the bungling political machine while infusing a feel-good fantasy about how a country should really be run. There was also the comforting feel of familiar Canadian scenes, the small town, the eccentric professor covered in snow. And to top it all romance, yes with sex scenes and all ...

Now, this is to tempt you not only to read TBLP but to look forward to the sequel that Terry is working on diligently.

Devina par Alain Gordon-Gentil

Félicitations à Alain Gordon-Gentil, un ami Mauricien qui m'impressionne par ses innombrables talents. Son nouveau roman Devina a reçu le prix littéraire Lauriers Verts de la Forêt des Livres 2009 dans la catégorie Révélation. Je suis très fière de voir un auteur Mauricien si bien apprécié en France.

Voici une chronique qui décrit le livre mieux que je n'aurais pu le faire.

J'ai lu Devina en quelques heures. C'est le genre de roman dans lequel on se plonge et ne peut en ressortir qu'àprès avoir lu le livre d'un seul trait.


Congratulations to Alain Gordon-Gentil, a multi-talented Mauritian friend, for obtaining the French literary prize 'Lauriers Verts de la Forêt des Livres 2009'. It's with much pride that I see a Mauritian writer so well-respected in France.

The novel was so engrossing that it was impossible to put down. The story revolves around the murder of a white woman, and it exposes the underlying tension in the social and racial structure of Mauritius, the island where it takes place. The writing style is succinct, fast-paced, keeping us on edge with the threat of impending violence, yet it moves easily into romantic and feverish overtones when delving into the passionate feelings of the main characters.

The book is in French only but after this success, it will perhaps get translated in English.

Au gré des ondes avec Jean-Paul Léger

Au gré des ondes est un livre que j'ai lu avec avec beaucoup d'intérêt car j'ai vu ses débuts et suivi ses progrès avec beaucoup d'enthousiasme.

Mon cher ami Jean-Paul Léger nous raconte ses expériences de voyage quand il était officier de la marine française. C'est un témoignage écrit avec tant de perspicacité et de détails imagés sur le monde de la mer que c'est facile de s'y laisser emporter. Bien que les descriptions techniques de son métier de radio me dépassent parfois, c'était fascinant de lire les aventures qui l'attendaient à chaque port. Parfois comiques, parfois tragiques, parfois étranges, elles sont toujours écrits avec tant de bonne humeur et sagesse.

Je trouve très émouvant les parties où il parle de sa passion pour la mer, une passion qui commence quand il était encore enfant, quand il aimait partir à bicyclette avec son père pour regarder les effets de tempête sur la mer, et ".. sentir la pluie et le vent cingler" son visage.

Jean-Paul est le mari de ma très chère amie Catherine, une amie d'adolescence avec qui j'ai passé des moments mémorables à l'école, sur les plages .... Notre amitié a subi le temps et les océans qui nous séparent et c'était un grand bonheur de rencontrer sa petite famille. C'est elle qui a captivé notre auteur dans le chapitre sur l'île Maurice: "le rayon vert! Je l'ai découvert dans les yeux d'une jeune Mauricienne..." C'est si romantique ça ... il est très doué, cet auteur.


This book hasn't been translated in English yet, but I hope it will. It's an excellent narrative about life at sea told from the perspective of a young French man who travelled around the world while working for the navy. One of the countries mentioned in his book is Mauritius, the island where he met his wife, a very dear friend of mine.

When Jean-Paul sent me the first chapter of a book he was writing for his sons who wanted to know more about his work, I was so impressed by his writing and his adventures at sea that I knew it would one day become a published book for a wider audience. It was such a wonderful feeling to hold the book in my hands. Jean-Paul's dedication and hard work are inspiring.