Red Dog, Red Dog - Hardcover

Lane, Patrick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0434019984 ISBN 13: 9780434019984

Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd, 2009

Synopsis

An epic novel of unrequited dreams and forestalled lives, "Red Dog, Red Dog" unfolds over the course of one week in and around a small town in British Columbia in 1958, with stories arcing back in time to the 1920s and '30s. The novel centres on the Stark family. There is Elmer, a violent man with a troubled past; Lillian, who married Elmer shortly after the Depression, and who finds herself retreating steadily into isolation; their sons, Tom and Eddy, now in their twenties, are bound together by the secrets of their childhood years. Unrepentant, Eddy speeds freely along his reckless path, defiant and vulnerable. Tom, a loner, tries to make out of the fragments of the past a story that can explain the way things are. Then one night at a party, Eddy goes too far, and a spiral of events is set in motion, leading to the novel's last, dramatic moments. Narrated in part by one of the dead infant daughters Elmer has buried, the novel is about hardship and loss, revenge and ancient loyalties, about the sweetness of first love and the power of memory. A richly textured portrait of a time and a place, filled with moments of harrowing violence and breathtaking descriptions of the natural world, "Red Dog, Red Dog" is a deeply moving novel that explores the legacies of the past and the possibilities of salvation.

About this title

About the Author

Patrick Lane is the author of There Is a Season (2004), his highly acclaimed memoir, which won the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence and the inaugural British Columbia Award for Canadian Non-fiction. One of the country's most celebrated poets, he has received numerous awards, including the Governor General's Award and two National Magazine Awards. Lane lives near Victoria, B.C., with his wife, the poet Lorna Crozier. Red Dog, Red Dog is his debut novel.

From the Back Cover

Praise for There is a Season

To read this book is to enter a state of enchantment. Alice Munro

I was more than delighted to read There is a Season when it came out, although I was also astonished by it A tough, lovely book. Margaret Atwood

Savage but forgiving Accomplished with such breathtaking beauty and power. David Malouf

Patrick Lane guides us across a grueling landscape with a steady hand. Alistair MacLeod

Patrick Lane has written a memoir of heartbreaking struggle that manages to be beautiful and encouraging. Thomas McGuane

From the Inside Flap

An epic novel of unrequited dreams and forestalled lives, Red Dog, Red Dog unfolds over the course of one week in and around a small town in British Columbia in 1958, with stories arcing back in time to the 1920s and 30s.

The novel centres on the Stark family. There is Elmer, a violent man with a troubled past; Lillian, who married Elmer shortly after the Depression, and who finds herself retreating steadily into isolation; their sons, Tom and Eddy, now in their twenties, are bound together by the secrets of their childhood years. Unrepentant, Eddy speeds freely along his reckless path, defiant and vulnerable. Tom, a loner, tries to make out of the fragments of the past a story that can explain the way things are. Then one night at a party, Eddy goes too far, and a spiral of events is set in motion, leading to the novel s last, dramatic moments.

Narrated in part by one of the dead infant daughters Elmer has buried, the novel is about hardship and loss, revenge and ancient loyalties, about the sweetness of first love and the power of memory. A richly textured portrait of a time and a place, filled with moments of harrowing violence and breathtaking descriptions of the natural world, Red Dog, Red Dog is a deeply moving novel that explores the legacies of the past and the possibilities of salvation.

One of Canada s most highly acclaimed poets, and author of an award-winning memoir, Patrick Lane, with this astonishing debut, suddenly introduces himself as a major novelist.

Edition details

• Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0434019984
• ISBN 13: 9780434019984
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352