we had a terrific evening with Alison Pick last night hearing her thoughts on the art (and sometimes anguish) of writing a memoir. she was humble and sincere and thoughtful. add to that some terrific food from public and a wonderful cocktail and you have a recipe for quite a wonderful night.
things are shaping up for the next two meetings with christine fischer guy in May (a few tickets still available for May 25th). and watch for news about dates in september.
we have managed to persuade christine fischer guy and public kitchen to join us in a second evening of appetite for reading. christine will be here again on tuesday may 25. tickets are on sale at the 'join us' page.
unfortunately, we did not have as much success finding a date with alison pick. but we are so very pleased to have a sell-out in april with alison.
we are delighted to report that, within a day of tickets being released, both nights have sold out! thanks everyone. we are now investigating whether we can put together a second night with each author. stay tuned for news on that front.
go to the join us page and sign up for the next book club events: tuesday april 21 with alison pick and tuesday may 19 with christine fischer guy.
“Fischer Guy writes supple sentences that rarely call attention to themselves. They are as fluid and forceful as the river, uncommonly beautiful…Fischer Guy has given readers a story that is Canadian yet universal; of its time and timeless.”
“The arc of the narrative is a tragic one, and the turn of events shocking and distressing…. Guy, fortunately, keeps the reader interested partly because she avoids setting up stereotypical opposites.”
Much is undecided. The doctors talk over me, debating the possibility that I’ll speak again.
Though a stroke has left her mute, the story Hazel has to share is unforgettable. As a talented nurse in the early 1950s, she went to Moose Factory to help fight the epidemic of tuberculosis that was ravaging the indigenous peoples of the north. Each week the boat brought new patients from the Nunavik region to the little hospital. It was a desperate undertaking, fraught with cultural and language difficulties that hampered the urgent, sometimes reckless, efforts of the medical staff. Hazel is soon distracted from the tensions of the hospital by an enigmatic drifter named Gideon Judge, an itinerant umbrella mender, who is searching for the Northwest Passage.
From her own hospital bed, the older Hazel struggles to pass on to her grandniece the harrowing tale of her past in the north, including the fate of Gideon and the heartbreaking secrets she left behind. With arresting characters, a richly drawn setting and impeccable prose, author Christine Fischer Guy weaves a story that lingers long after the book is closed.
“The Umbrella Mender is a gorgeous book— a moving meditation on human frailty, a sensitive portrait of conflicting cultures brought together in an uneasy truce, and a heartbreaking tale of unsanctioned love.”
“An intense exploration. . . . We watch [Pick] valiantly, indefatigably confront images and imaginations of her pasts, presents and futures in intense, moving ways. . . . Pick’s outlines of the depths of her depressions and fears are earnest and heart-rending.”
“Pick’s book is a well written and sympathetic foray into the politics of personal identity. . . . Highly readable and . . . moving.”
“A story of religious rebirth, and the attendant—if not directly associated—suffering that rebirth entails. . . . Between Gods is a sometimes wincingly honest diary, filled with malaise and dread vulnerability. But within the frame of the book, Pick’s intelligence and intent to observe her moral possibilities remain apparent. . . . The gift, the empathy, of Pick’s memoir comes in her active presence, even as she admits that she is no longer between those particular gods—Christian, Jewish, or otherwise. They are the forces that feel greater than us, that loom on all sides and draw out our silhouettes, even within the shadows they cast.”
From the Man Booker-nominated author of the novel Far to Go and one of our most talented young writers comes an unflinching, moving and unforgettable memoir about family secrets and the rediscovered past.
Alison Pick was born in the 1970s and raised in a supportive, loving family. She grew up laughing with her sister and cousins, and doting on her grandparents. Then as a teenager, Alison made a discovery that instantly changed her understanding of her family, and her vision for her own life, forever. She learned that her Pick grandparents, who had escaped from the Czech Republic during WWII, were Jewish--and that most of this side of the family had died in concentration camps. She also discovered that her own father had not known of this history until, in his twenties, he had a chance encounter with an old family friend--and then he, too, had kept the secret from Alison and her sister.
In her early thirties, engaged to be married to her longtime boyfriend but struggling with a crippling depression, Alison slowly but doggedly began to research and uncover her Jewish heritage. Eventually she came to realize that her true path forward was to reclaim her history and indentity as a Jew. But even then, one seemingly insurmountable problem remained: her mother wasn't Jewish, so technically Alison wasn't either. In this by times raw, by times sublime memoir, Alison recounts her struggle with the meaning of her faith, her journey to convert to Judaism, her battle with depression, and her path towards facing and accepting the past and embracing the future--including starting a new family of her own. This is her unusual and gripping story, told in crystalline prose and with all the nuance and drama of a novel, but illuminated with heartbreaking insight into the very real lives of the dead, and hard-won hope for the lives of all those who carry on after.
we are absolutely delighted with the response to the book club. it has been overwhelming. now we have the "problem" of determining the best way to accommodate that demand.
in the spring, we will offer two meetings about a month apart and featuring different authors. the books will be quite different: in a bit of a departure from the model we have been using, the first book is non-fiction by a well-known author. the second choice will be more like what we have been hosting in the past: an evening with an emerging author of fiction.
the books will be announced at the same time and tickets will go on sale at the same time. the choice is yours: come to one or the other or come to both. but do come. and bring some new friends for us to meet.
watch for more on the blog about the authors, the dates and ticket sales next month.
thanks everyone who was part of the last two nights of book club. the food was delicious as were the cocktails (thanks everyone from public). Carrie gave two terrific and very different talks each night. and, as always, the group was engaged and the questions were thoughtful and thought provoking.
watch the website for news of our upcoming events in the spring.
a few people have been asking us to confirm the dates for the January meeting. There are two dates: January 19 and January 20.
Ironically, the "first" date we sold tickets for is January 20 and the "second" date is January 19. But there is an easier way to figure out which date is yours: if your confirmation email says simply "january book club", your ticket is for january 20. Only the January 19 event confirmation says january 19.
clear? we hope so. but as a last resort, you can email us and ask.
and remember. doors open at 6:00. cocktails and mixing it up for about an hour then dinner is served sometime around 7. see you on the 20th! or the 19th!
thanks for all the support. we have now sold out two nights at public kitchen. there is a wait list so, if you are interested in being added to that list (or if you want to be among the first to hear about the spring event), sign up for the email list on the join us page.
thanks everyone for your enthusiasm. looking forward to two great nights of great food, great literature and great friends.