Galveston

"Galveston, Oh Galveston", this is not a book like the song sung by that "Rhinestone Cowboy". Oh, no, this is a book like no other. A Gale-force wind that hits you like a wallop by the strangest set of people ever you should meet. I started reading this book during the night of the Katrina Hurricane, set at a gale-force wind of 5, and bound for the coast of Louisiana. Like this hurricane, Galveston, upon which this book is referenced from 1900, took the city by surprise and wiped out whole neighborhoods. Into this kind of setting arrives a crew of humanity, some of whom follow hurricanes and some of whom were taken by surprise. Dampier Cay, an island in the Carribbean, near Jamaica. An ex-coach turned millionaire by The Lottery, Mr Caldwell; Beverly, the lovely lass upon whom all is lost, nothing good ever happens to her; the "Weatherman" aka Jimmy Newton, the famous storm chaser; all come together with the rest of the myriad of people to vacation upon Dampier Cay during a severe storm. The two lovely sisters on vacation, the mystery man with the suitcase he won't let go of, the couple who say "Whatever will be, will be" and the employess of the Water's Edge Hotel,all with their own motley tales to tell. They settle here to await the coming of the storm. This strange assortment fills the bar of the hotel with humour and darkness. What to make of this group, how will their fortunes fall? I found the book riveting, simplistic in style and rich with dark humour. When you have lost everything, what is there to live for? What excitment can you find that will bring you out of your reverie? There is passion and sex and grit and determination and love and loss. To whom will the bell toll? Will anyone possbily live through a 5 gale-force hurricane and live to tell their stories? With bleakness and bare bones, the stories come tumbling out through the past, future and present tense. You want these pople to live, at least some of them, and you hope for the best, while fearing the worst. Paul Quarrington, the author, was a Giller Prize Finalist for this book, "Galveston". The hurricane of the century for this author. Highly recommended. prisrob