Yellowknife by Steve Zipp

What a cornucopia of quirkiness! And I mean that in a good way. Steve Zipp's Yellowknife, is quite the surprise. It defies the normal novel with its here-and-there plots and its zany roster of characters, who, amazingly, while not entirely believable, are very likeable. (Even the ones who are only beginning to be developed near the end of the book.)

The storyline is impossible to pin down. Suffice it to say that there are talking animals, an engagement ring with coal for a stone, a mosquito-breeder, a boy who lived in a tree, gold mines, scrambled caribou brains on toast, and grown men fighting over dogfood!

The contrast between the frenzied goings-on and the stillness of the north is mesmerizing. In a sense, it is a book not so much about the characters who people it but about the place. Even in the descriptions of the heat of summer, I felt the iciness wafting through. The characters, too, interconnected, yet some barely brushing past the others' lives, complete the picture of the place. Yellowknife to me now feels like a world of possibilities, magical and fantastical.

This isn't an easy book to read because it does go off on tangents. But, the sharpness of the writing, the humour in the casual conversation, and the way everything gets tied up in the end, not neatly, but still substantially satisfying, all make up for the sometime-confusion.

To quote from the book, "Borders exist for a reason." They do. And this novel is a great exploration of both the borders in our physical surroundings and the borders we create in our minds.

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It's a real shame bigger bookstores do not carry this title. But you may purchase a copy from the publisher, Res Telluris, or download it for free. You might also want to check out this talented author's blog. I hope he writes more books!

P. S. Thank you, Steve!