Description
Jack Hodgins' first book, published originally in 1976, is once again in print - in a new edition. Winner of the Eaton's Book Prize and nominated for the Governor General's Award, Spit Delaney's Island, a collection of short stories, put Vancouver Island on the map as a Canadian literary locale and set Hodgins off on his literary career.
Often compared to Faulkner's fiction of the deep South, Hodgins' stories develop through people who seem to live at the edge of the world, always in danger of falling off that edge. There is Spit himself, the keeper of a steam locomotive that has been exiled to Ottawa for display; there are loggers, country wives, bookstore owners, and people who "live up the mountain" in isolated communes.
Hodgins' prose brings Vancouver Island to life in its touch, its taste and the sound of its dialects - a determinedly real world. At the same time he imbues his people with a sense that there is something more that they cannot see but which they sense and strive towards - a mystery or even magic that they can almost touch but which remains forever elusive.
Contributor Notes
Jack Hodgins was raised in Merville, on Vancouver Island, and graduated from the University of British Columbia. Until recently, he taught fiction writing at the University of Victoria. His novels and story collections include: Spit Delaney's Island, The Invention of the World, Innocent Cities, Broken Ground, Distance and Damage Done by the Storm.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 16
- Grade:
- 11
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Librarian review
Spit Delaney's Island: Selected Stories
In this collection of short stories first published in 1976, Hodgins creates unique, tough and quirky characters living in small towns on Vancouver Island. An engineer loses the love of his life and a radio DJ spends his life trying to spite his family. Set against the backdrop of farming life and the logging industry, these stories are about love gone wrong and lives left unfulfilled.
Hodgins has written many short story collections and novels including The Resurrection of Joseph Bourne. This book won the Eaton’s Book Prize when it was first published.
Caution: Use of the term “Indian”. Includes coarse language. Describes sex, physical and domestic violence, and keeping a disabled child locked away in unhealthy conditions.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2011-2012.
