All This Town Remembers

So today Brain is 14. I will post about that soon, but wanted to post a bit about my brother's book.

The title of this post is the title of the book. Please forgive me if you are tired of me going on about it. I went on about it before I read it, it will certainly take me some time to calm down after finishing the book this afternoon! I am so hyped up!!

Stud and I took turns and he eventually had more time and surpassed me and finished it last night. It was hard for either of us to put down. It was SO GOOD! It was really neat to read about things I had forgotten, living in the prairie. If none of you have ever lived in the Prairies of the North, then maybe you cannot relate. Even if you have not, you will certainly still enjoy this book. If you can get past all the times the main character uses the "F" word!

So shortly after I finished it, my one brother called Brain to wish him Happy Birthday. We were discussing our brother's book when the author himself called. Also to wish his nephew Happy Birthday. I spent so much time talking with both of my brothers, that Brain's birthday supper was ruined:( He had requested Chicken Fettuccine (Is that the correct spelling???). It is something that you need to really pay attention to, when you make that Alfredo sauce, etc. Also, we were out of garlic bread. I am slacking on his birthday big time! I felt SO BAD. More on that in his Birthday post, though.

Anyway, my brothers and I had a lovely time on the phone. I spent almost two hours on the phone in the course of both conversations! I feel bad, I yapped so much with R, that he missed tucking his wee son into bed. Young Mr. J (you may recall him from my July 4th Post from this summer) is closing in on 20 lbs at five months of age. In fact, he may have surpassed that by now!

My brothers and I have lively conversations and talk for long periods of time. Sean (might as well say his name, all of you will find it out when you google the book like I know you want to:) Teehee) teases me sometimes and when he calls he will take a deep breath and count "One, two, three ~ GO!" and then sit back and listen while I launch into an hour long gabbing fest. Sometimes he even gets a word or two in!


So we had a nice talk about his book. I asked many questions.

Me- "So at this one part when such and such happened, were you thinking of so-and-so??"

Sean - "Yes, kind of."

Me- "So when this happened, was it about this or that??"

Sean - "Kind of, mainly about that."



He did a great job of describing things. I felt as if I were home again, standing in our yard. I remember our Dad burning the garbage in the burning barrel. He always loved doing that. Now that they had to move into the city, he can't do that anymore. Of course, I also remember my brothers peeing against it in the winter, to watch the steam rise off. I remember being SO JEALOUS that they could do that and I couldn't. teehee I remember that vehicles had to be plugged in during the winter and the biting wind (I should post my worst frostbite story soon!) and vehicles ending up in ditches full of snow during winter.

I am going to post a few quotes. I love this one ~

"The world was too lit to stay any colour for long. You had to stop looking - you believed in the space beside the road, but you could not look at it directly- it moved between white and blue, between blue and black and it moved back. You see all the movies, with something so good the bright light shines out of it, but the viewer cannot see. The characters stand and murmur or are silent in awe, and this is what they've fought for. It isn't gold or some big fucking secret, Adam thought. It's the prairie in winter, and it surrounds you."


I really loved this part, for some reason ~

"Adam loved to watch her read like that, at night, beside him, and imagine how events and people slid in her story. He loved to imagine how they held her, too, when they did. What was it about one character that might hold her?? What are the things about this same character that disappear as she falls into sleep??? How are the people transformed in her brief dreams??"


Here ~

"The morning sun was somewhere hidden above, but it filled the yard with a kind of rehearsing glow, amplified by the snow and frost that covered everything. The winter yard seemed aching to shine, and would, soon enough, when the sun just stretched a simple grade higher."


Last one ~

"Adam looked down at the boy and his typical grin. The steam coming from his body made his face glisten and his eyes were open to the world. And where was this world?

It was from his bedroom to the tiny school and from there to the rink and back. It was from this tiny rink his father built to the barn where he would work most of his life after school."




Want more?? You must buy the book! I hope my bro doesn't mind me doing this. I can't help it. I asked him when we can expect more. He said he is working on more, I won't say when here in my blog. Just leave it that there are two more works in progress and I am so proud and excited I could burst! Can you tell??


A piece of Trivia for you. The town we grew up near is named after Helena Bonham Carter's great-grandfather.

I thought that was neat!

Ok, Brain says we are watching "Ice Age II: The Meltdown" now. Better get that popcorn popping even though it is very late right now!!!