Down There by the Train - Hardcover

Sterns, Kate

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0676973876 ISBN 13: 9780676973877

Verlag: Knopf Canada, 2001

Inhaltsangabe

A witty and wistful Gothic romance, packed with magic, comic misunderstandings and metaphorical brilliance. Kate Sterns' acclaimed first novel, Thinking About Magritte, was heralded as the work of an exceptional talent. This new novel transcends that promise.

Out of prison on parole, Levon Hawke heads straight for the diner owned by his old friend, Sweeney. There Levon learns a suspect history of the unnamed, and unnameable, island where he has been offered a job at his cousin's bakery. Lulled by Sweeney's stories and the warmth of the diner, Levon misses the only ferry across and sets out over the frozen lake, alone and in failing light, provisioned with donuts and Sweeney's map.

Stumbling ashore at the wrong end of the island, Levon is confronted by a ruined house deep in a dark forest. From under the door comes a faint glimmer of light, and behind it, partially hidden by the last volume of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, awaits perhaps his nemesis, or perhaps his destiny: tall, red-haired Obdulia Limb, grieving for her mother ten years dead.

Obdulia's octogenarian femme fatale of a stepmother and her overbearing father try to engage Levon in a gruesome conspiracy to cure Obdulia of her grief. But Levon has his own grief, and besides, he has other plans.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Kate Sterns was born in Toronto in 1961 and grew up in Kingston, Ontario. Her first novel, Thinking About Magritte, was published to acclaim in 1992. She now lives in Montreal.

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"There is something about Canada that breeds marvellous women novelists; and if Kate Sterns' assured debut is anything to go by, it cannot be long before she is mentioned in the same breath as Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro." — Sunday Telegraph (UK)

“Sterns is well versed in magic realist and gothic conventions, but skilfully prevents these literary tropes from dominating the story. Balancing elegant description with witty dialogue, Sterns never allows the strangeness of her characters to diminish their humanity…[T]he characters are drawn with sensitivity…Sterns brings her tale to life with humour and a clear vision of life down the rabbit hole.” —Quill & Quire

“Down There By the Train is a refreshing read…there is a surplus of creative energy, a desire to fashion a thing unique to Canadian literature — something like a kind of modern gothic comedy…Down There By the Train gets points for cutting a figure unlike any other Canadian book. That’s certainly worth something.” —Montreal Gazette

“It is, at its core, a tale about the hole of grief that the absence of love brings — and the qualities that being loved draws out from even the most distressed…The pace, the tempo, of Down There By the Train is nicely formed.” —Noah Richler, National Post

“OK, I admit it, I have a soft sopt for ex-cons. And for food. So of course I loved Kate Sterns’s delicious, wicked new novel, Down There By the Train. The question is, how to tell you what it’s like…Some things just have to be experienced to be appreciated. If you’ve read…Sterns’s brilliant first novel, you’ll have an inkling of what’s on the menu. Imagination, huge dollops of it. Generous scoops of laughter, word-play like raisins, guaranteed in every bite. Insight, enough to give it spice and linger on the palate, but never overbearing. All of it served up with such a feel for pacing, for structure, for the deeper pleasures of significance that you can’t help thinking, here is a writer born to it…I can’t wait to dip back in, nibble away at the book again, savouring the bons mots of this satisfying writer.” —Merilyn Simonds, National Post

“Kate Sterns loves to play with the English language. In Down There by the Train, she’s forever trying out new puns…Despite the wackiness, Sterns’s work has a serious side, delving into what we consume and what consumes us, whether it’s words or emotion. Craving some imagination? Down There By the Train is a rich treat.” —Bonnie Schiedel, Chatelaine

“The novel is a wonderfully witty and wise investigation of the two choices we have when it comes to dealing with loss: get over it, or don’t.” —Joel Yanofsky, Montreal Gazette

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

An old-fashioned Coca-Cola sign hung above the door, creaking in the breeze. Red plastic letters that could be removed or scrambled to make new words were slotted into ledges, like a child's learn-to-read toy. The first line said Sweeney's Diner. Reputable since 1955. Underneath that was an advertisement for the $2.99 breakfast. Served all day. And then: Go d eats here.
He blinked twice, speculating as to whether Sweeney had succumbed in his old age to an uncharacteristic bout of religious fervour. Levon's aunt, Anna-Lee, had switched from the Anglican church to the Pentecostal after her divorce (More action! she claimed), and now spoke in tongues. Without stopping, his father grumbled.
Levon soon identified the problem: there was a gap between the o and the d. A letter had slipped in its mooring and sailed off on the wind. A missing, what, consonant? Gord eats here. No, of course not. A vowel, then. An o. That was it. The sign should have read Good eats here. God was meant to be good. How scandalized Anna Lee would be at the notion that He was a mere typo: an error. An absence. Levon guffawed. Religion, Harvey's great discovery, grief - that's all boiled down to in the end: a red o. A bloody circle with nothing at the centre of it.
To occupy his time while waiting for Sweeney's to open, Levon decided to search for the letter. First, he looked about at his feet but saw no telltale splash of red.
He'd have to seek it further afield.
The snow on the pavement was worn down and grubby as an old bar of soap. Ice, partially thawed, then frozen again, felt nubbly on the soles of his shoes. He trod accidentally on a patch of smoother ice and his feet shot forward while his upper body jerked back, as if a rug had been yanked out from under him. His arms windmilled in an undignified effort to right himself. He would have to watch his step. His shoes were prison-issue after all, designed to stick only to the straight and narrow.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Knopf Canada
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2001
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0676973876
• ISBN 13: 9780676973877
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 256
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar