HOW AUGUST SLIPPED AWAY

 A Brief Getaway

I spent two nights in Collingwood with three other women. Lots of board games, food, wine and interesting conversation. One of the questions we pondered: of all the things going on in the world right now (so much!), what is one thing that really concerns you? Of course, sometimes this changes from day to day, depending on what news you wake up to. A common theme among this group of women was the alarming trend of deterioration of women’s rights and basic human rights. Another was the deep social divide and threat to democracy (looking south of us) and a growing and expanding permission to be discriminatory and prejudiced against different races, colour, gender, way of life.

We also talked about what we most want to do in the next year or two. (Five-year plans seem too grand and far-reaching for us now, at this stage of our lives). If I were to ask myself what is the desire that consumes me these days, it would be the wish to see a book of mine in print, to launch it into the world and into readers hands (and my own).

Lots of Art Events

I attended three art events this month, chatted with artists, admired their work, and also, did the inevitable comparing to my own work (which, in my mind, never matches up). They say of course that ‘comparison is the thief of joy’. But it does not take away my joy when painting, and my intention when viewing art by other artists is to learn, to look at their brushstrokes, to solidify in my mind what appeals to me and what doesn’t. It is inspiration for my own work.

A Live Tennis Event

I made my annual trek to the grounds of York University (or maybe that was at the end of July?) to see the tennis pros in action. This is not inspiration (my own body can never aspire to such feats), but it is pure entertainment and enjoyment. More enjoyment to be had on the couch these days as the U.S Open has begun, already with some of the usual drama which happens at this tournament more than any other. Why is that? Is there something in the air there that ignites meltdowns and boorish behaviour?

A Book Club!

For someone who once insisted I didn’t want to join a book club (because life is too short to be forced into reading others’ book selections), how did I suddenly become the organizer of one? Somehow, when another woman asked if I’d help re-launch a book club they had tried to get off the ground years ago, the words that slipped out of my mouth were, “Yes, I’m in.”.

So now, I’m the official condo book club organizer! How did that happen? We decided we would use the local library’s book club kits (I didn’t even know they had such a thing), in which you get ten copies of the same book so there’s no scrambling, trying to get your hands on a copy. This limits us to what’s available with these kits (mostly older releases, but all popular ones), and so I picked up the kit from the library this week (thank you, lovely local library) and have distributed a few before our very first book club meeting on September 30^th. Wish us luck! I guess one should never say never, because somehow the universe schemes to serve up your words to you, sprinkled with salt and pepper for good measure.

Some great August Reads.

THE COAST ROAD – ALAN MURRIN

Set in small town Ireland in 1994-95, this debut novel met all my expectations.

It centres around the lives of three women in a small town where men make the rules, appearances mean a lot, the church plays a significant role, townspeople talk, and women’s lives are shaped by the roles thrust upon them.

Izzy struggles to assert her independence, her platonic friendship with the parish priest sets tongues wagging and draws her husband’s ire, as does her friendship with Colette, branded a scarlet woman for daring to leave her husband for another man and pursue being a poet.

All the marriages are troubled and divorce is not yet legal in 1994 (!!), prior to a referendum on this which, as mentioned in the author’s note passed into law by less than 1%. I did not know this!

As with many Irish authors, this one beautifully captures a simmering undercurrent of poignancy, suffering, and the tragedy of the human condition.

THE CORRESPONDENT – VIRGINIA EVANS

All the glowing reviews about this debut epistolary novel were right. I loved it and tore through it in a couple of days.

Through her letters (and a few emails), we come to know Sybil, a seventy-something stubborn woman, who gradually lets us into the deep recesses of her mind, her grief, her losses, and takes us with her on her journey of understanding of herself, and of others.

She writes to everyone, including celebrities (Joan Didion), and they write back!

There’s something about the form of an epistolary novel that draws you in closer than first-person POV. I don’t know why that is, it’s like you are being invited into a private conversation.

It also made me think back to the days when I did hand-write and send and receive letters, had pen-pals (I can picture some of you scratching your heads – pen pals? What’s that?), and got so excited about receiving a letter in the mail. It’s something I no longer do, but is it worth starting up again?