The second part of my review of Neil Perrin's The Door Between, this now appears, revised and rewritten, in my new book:
The Dusty Bookcase:A Journey Through Canada'sForgotten, Neglected, and Suppressed Writing
Available at the very best bookstores and through
Related post:
With one exception I haven't been able to read through any News Stands. So I was surprised to enjoy this one. The Toronto scenes and Canadian references are part of the fun but it also is engaging in a "most peculiar" way. One sentence sticks with me - "Darkness clung to the window panes like a lover to somebody else's drain-pipe." (p. 31)
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing this to my attention.
How about the Irish! That listing on the prohibited book register is fascinating. Some of the News Stands made it onto Canadian lists as well.
The Door Between follows Montreal Confidential and Sugar-Puss on Dorchester Street on my NSL reading list. Of the three, it is easily the best. It most certainly contains some memorable, if tortured, similes. I think you've quoted the finest, beating out this from three pages earlier: "When she [Sheila] turned to look at him he [Bruce] was standing forlornly at the curb, staring after her like a Christian betrayed into a den of lions."
ReplyDeleteNot that that prevents her from driving away.
I'd be interested to learn of the other NSL titles that garnered attention from the censors. This may be the key to determining which are worth a read!
What? What??? WHAT???
ReplyDeleteThis sounds wonderful (for very narrowly defined values of 'wonderful').
Bruce's description of the happenings in the rooming house as "weird and wonderful" has me questioning my understanding of the latter word.
ReplyDeleteThat said, "weird" makes sense.
I'll do a post on the censored News Stands.
ReplyDelete