Our December Guest by Wayne Curtis
A Review by James M Fisher
My copy of this book arrived in early September, not through Canada Post, but by a guest appearance in my dooryard of the author himself. He was in Miramichi to drop off copies of his newest release and he was kind enough to stop by and hand deliver my copy for purposes of review. I have reviewed many of Wayne’s compilations of short stories over the years, and I’m always glad when a new release comes along. While I am likely 20 years his junior and come from another part of Canada, his stories of growing up in rural New Brunswick always strike a chord with me, as they are in turns melancholy, cheerful and reflective. They are stories that can be read again and again because they are more of a reminiscence than a story with a beginning, middle and end. You can pick up any of Wayne’s books and delve in at any point.
Our December Guest: Maritime Christmas Stories is a bit of a misleading title as the titular story is not about a bearded man in a red suit coming down the chimney, nor are all the stories about Christmas, which I liked to see, as not everyone has glowing memories of this particular time of year. Many of the stories are set in the time before (late fall) and around the holiday, such as “Autumn in the Country”, “A Fall Story” and “The Bonfire”, just to name a few.
As with all of Wayne’s stories, there is an autobiographical tone to them, although names are different throughout each story, and one (“Winter Road”) is even told in a female voice.
“The Growing Season” one of the shortest stories in the collection, showcases Wayne’s gift for framing a story through a reflective lens. Two days before Christmas, Billy, the narrator and his cousin are playing golf in Ontario, then jump in a car and drive straight to New Brunswick through a snowstorm to make a surprise visit to his folks and his younger siblings, still living at the old homestead. Ten years later, he reflects:
The old home as we knew it is no longer visible; the house and buildings have been burned and a log cabin constructed on the house's foundation. The fields have grown up with alder and spruce. Sally, Joey and I get together but rarely now. We have each grown in our own way, in different directions. But like our family ties that stretch across an entire continent, and beyond, the old home as we knew it lives like life's most valuable possessions those of the mind.
Our December Guest is another fine collection of Wayne Curtis stories, many of which have been published in different journals over the years. They have (and will) stand the test of time.
About the Author
Wayne Curtis was born in Keenan, New Brunswick, in 1943. He attended the local schoolhouse but dropped out at the age of fourteen to help his father on the farm. He has worked in the car factories of Ontario as well as in the furniture trade with stints at river guiding in New Brunswick. He has written sixteen books and countless essays. Wayne has won the CBC Drama Award, The Richards Award (short fiction), an honorary doctorate degree (Letters) from St. Thomas University, and the Order of New Brunswick. Wayne has lived in southern Ontario, Yukon Territories and Cuba. He currently divides his time between his cabin on the Miramichi River and his apartment in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Our Christmas Guest is his twenty-second published book.
Book Details
Publisher : Pottersfield Press (Sept. 15 2024)
Language : English
Paperback : 220 pages
ISBN-10 : 1990770657
ISBN-13 : 978-1990770654