Book ~ "Advocate" (2016) Darren Greer

From Goodreads ~ When Jacob is called back to Advocate, he is not only returning home again, something he knows he cannot really do; he is going to face his dying grandmother and the people of the town who turned on one of their own.

Twenty years earlier, when his uncle David came home, it was to die. The response in Advocate was typical of most towns, large and small, in 1984: when his disease became known, Jacob, his grandmother, his mother and his aunt were shunned, turned out from school and their jobs, out of fear of an until-then unknown virus. 

Jacob lives in Toronto and is a counsellor, giving comfort and guidance to men living with AIDS.  He was born and raised in Advocate, a small town in Nova Scotia.  He has to head home when his mother informs him that his grandmother is dying.  He isn't close to his grandmother because of things that had happened in the past but his mother makes him go.

In 1984, Jacob was about ten and living with his mother, aunt and grandmother in Advocate.  His uncle, David, who had been living in Toronto, went home for a visit.  It turns out that David was sick and had returned home to die.  He had AIDS, a disease no one knew much about back then.  When the town discovered David's illness and fearing that they would be contaminated, David and his family were ostracized.  Until this point, Jacob's grandmother, the wife of a deceased doctor, had held a prominent position in the community.  She was old-school and rather than side with her family, she too had the same views as the town, which caused extreme tension within the house.  In addition, she refused to acknowledge the severity of David's illness.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Jacob's voice.  It's definitely not an upbeat story and I think the author did a excellent job in capturing the terror, confusion and misunderstanding of the unknown disease back in the 1980s when it was becoming known.

I liked the characters.  The events of 1984 scarred Jacob and still influence who he is today.  His mother and aunt were more open and with it and did all they can to take care of their big brother.  Their mother is a good representation of her generation in a small town.  She was a God-fearing Catholic and respected in her community.  She didn't understand why David couldn't have become a doctor or a lawyer and settled down with a wife and children ... it was against her beliefs that he would instead like other men.

I'm originally from Nova Scotia ... I lived in a small Catholic town in the 1980s about a half hour from "Advocate" so I could relate to the mentality and the people at that time.  I've known people who were similar in temperament, outspokenness, keeping their emotions hidden inside and worrying about what others would think.  Looking back, I know I would have been more open and non-judgmental as David's sisters were.

Darren Greer will be appearing at Toronto’s 2016 International Festival of Authors:

• Wednesday, October 26 - 8pm Stories of Men (Reading/Round Table)
• Sunday, October 30 - 3:30pm Stories of Redemption (Reading/Round Table)

The 37th edition of Toronto’s International Festival of Authors (IFOA) is a celebration of words and ideas, of writers and readers.

In 2016, IFOA welcomes over 200 Canadian and international participants to Toronto. The Festival brings together the world’s best writers of contemporary literature for 11 days of readings, interviews, artist talks, round table discussions, public book signings and a number of special events. The IFOA takes place at the Harbourfront Centre, where the city meets the lake, from October 20th to the 30th.

Book ~ "Still Life with June" (2005) Darren Greer

From Amazon ~ The people in gay bars on Christmas Day are so desperate for basic human contact that they'd go home with a Doc Marten shoe if it made a move, and maybe even if it didn't.

So begins the story of Cameron Dodds, a disenfranchised writer who visits gay bars on Christmas and works at a Salvation Army Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center in order to steal the stories of the people he meets there. But when Cameron finds a patient hanged in the utilities closet, his infatuation with other people's stories becomes an obsession. Assuming the man's identity, Cameron seeks out and forges a relationship with the victim's mentally challenged sister, who lives in a home uptown. As Cameron becomes more involved in the woman's life, he begins to discover truths that will challenge him to the very core of his existence.

I had read Greer's first novel, Tyler's Cape, last month and enjoyed it. I enjoyed this one too. If I can use one word to describe it, it would be "bizarre".

It's funny, sad, sarcastic, ironic, sleazy, self-indulgent and more.

There are other lies and deceptions in addition to the one with Cameron pretending to be Darrel in order to steal his life to have writing material. BTW, how sleazy is that?!

I didn't see the ending coming ... it was quite a surprise. I can see why some reviewers have said they had to reread it to pick up what they missed.

I'd definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something different and not fluffy.

Book ~ "Tyler's Cape" (2003) Darren Greer

From Cormorant Books ~ When Luke Conrad's aging mother breaks her hip he must return to the Nova Scotian fishing village of Tyler's Cape for one summer to take care of her. There, as he starts to remember the childhood he has worked so hard to forget, Luke unearths a secret in his mother's past — a secret that could be the key to understanding all that has happened to his family.

Taking the reader on a journey through childhood and memory, Tyler's Cape is a story about the relationship between brothers, the difficult yet enduring nature of family, and the rediscovery of a child's lost world of grace and glory.

What an excellent novel! I'd definitely recommend it.

It's not a happy story at all but I found it hard to put it down. I'm originally from Nova Scotia and could relate to the characters and mannerisms.

Written in the youngest brother, Luke's voice, it follows three brothers, Tom, Billy and Luke, who grow up in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia. Their father dies when they are young and they are raised by their mother, Dora, who is bitter and extremely anti-social. Dora is not likable at all and it's not until you got to the end that you discover why she is the way. I didn't excuse her actions but at least it explained why she had turned out the way she did.

I'll leave you with a quote from Tom, speaking to Luke, when they were adults:

"You're responsible for yourself. Your life is your life. You can drink it away, screw it away, do whatever you want but it's yours. You're responsible."