Monday, July 02, 2018

Reader's Diary #1859- Kate Harty: A Canadian Summer

Whenever we leave the country and chat with the locals, they most often follow the revelation that we're from Canada with the question, "Toronto?" When roughly a sixth of the population lives in the GTA, I suppose it's not a totally asinine question. And considering that the vast majority of Canadians live in urban centers, within spitting distance of the U.S., no less, I have to acknowledge that me and my family aren't exactly representative Canadians anyway, myself having lived my entire life on Canada's peripheries.

So when I see a story like Kate Harty's "A Canadian Summer" about an Irish family vacationing in the Canadian wilderness, it makes me a little happy that many realize that it's the nature and space here that makes the place special.

Harty's story is rife with adjectives like a high school writing assignment, but as it's predominately a setting piece, imagery without much plot, it's fitting. Plus, it's a high school writing assignment.

"A Canadian Summer" is a peaceful, introspective and Zen story.

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