Titles > Fiction > Still Life With June
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Still Life With June
by Darren Greer
Novel
ISBN:
978-1-896951-73-7
Trade Paper
5.125" X 7.625"
335 pages
$21.95
Still Life With June
by Darren Greer
Click to listen to Darren Greer discuss Still Life With June (wave, 29.2mb).
Winner of the 2004 ReLit Award
Shortlisted for the 2003 Pearson Canada Readers' Choice Book Award
Read an excerpt from Still Life With June.
Cameron is a writer who earns something of a living by working at the Sally Ann Cocaine Corral — a shelter for former drug addicts, alcoholics and criminals.
One night, when Cameron is working at the shelter, one of its "guests" hangs himself in the closet. Cameron, over the course of the next few weeks, reads the man's file and slowly begins to take on his life — including making visits to the man's sister, June, who has Down Syndrome, incarcerated in a municipal facility in the same city. Day by day, Cameron becomes more involved in June's life and, as he does, she begins to respond to his presence, step by step, until, finally, Cameron takes June on a road trip to the home she grew up in, the home her brother burnt down.
About Darren Greer.
| Reviews: |
| “A
rich read.” — NOW Magazine (A Top Ten Pick of 2003) “... a rare writing talent.” — Saskatoon StarPhoenix “Greer’s observations of addiction and corporate domination ... are indeed sharp, his narrative voice infectious.” — The Globe and Mail “Still Life with June is not a pretty story, but it is a good one. Greer’s every sentence seems so honest. His book was written with courage, and read in one sitting.” — New Brunswick Reader “It will stay with you for days.” — Swerve “Greer has masterfully created a character that is just sympathetic enough for the reader to care about him. Still Life with June is modern and urban without being too edgy for the masses. This book is highly recommended. — The Edmonton Journal “Greer’s pithy prose keeps things moving quickly, and culminates in a realization and event that can be seen coming, much like a train’s lamp through a darkened tunnel. But when that realization hits, it smacks with the force of that train, one that’s packing a lifetime of emotional freight ... the cruel baggage of events and tragedies long sublimated and hard reckonings not faced, until now. It’s all about identity, and facing yourself down.” — The Hamilton Spectator "Everyone in Cameron Dodds's life is a loser. From the drug addicts at the Sally Ann where he works to the aspiring yet terrible authors in his weekly writers' group to Cameron himself, they are all irrevocably lost. But did you want to read an entire novel populated with successful type-A personalities anyway? Losers are undeniably more interesting, and that's why Darren Greer's second novel, Still Life With June, works so well." "The several works of short fiction within the text propel the novel. These stories are important. (You'll see why when you finish the book.) As it turns out, Cameron Dodds is one complicated loser who just might win you over--or at least capture your interest." — Emily Urquhart The Georgia Straight July 3-9 2003 Read the complete review here. •••• "a funny and honest look at the human casualties that litter our cities...." "Greer's book succeeds because it speaks the truth...." "It's hilarious and redemptive, brimming with revelation. Still Life With June is modern and urban without being too edgy for the masses. This book is highly recommended." — Moe Berg, The Edmonton Journal, June 29 2003 •••• "Darren Greer's Still Life With June, his excellent second novel, creeps up on you slowly and subtly, creating an atmosphere of tension and dread through fascinating characters. The main ones share a particular personality trait: they can't bear to be themselves. "Greer's characters are strikingly believable and his dilemmas disturbing...." — Susan G. Cole, NOW Magazine June 19, 2003 |
