Synopses & Reviews
A Vintage Tales Book.
Exploring themes of fate, identity and the meaning of home, Country of Cold traces the lives of a group of vibrant young men and women raised in rural Canada. Stifled by their provincial locale, they seek freedom in new corners of the world: the haunting landscapes of the North; historic lanes of Montreal; and Paris, where temperatures reach pleasant and unfamiliar highs. As the stories unfold, each character grapples with the impossible puzzles of adulthood. Fierce ambition meets fiercer competition, and geography no longer offers solutions in the quest for a fulfilling life. Yet one member of their set chooses not to leave the old neighborhood, dutifully practicing medicine in the community of her youth. A final reunion brings these satisfying tales full circle.
Crafted with the keen insight that won accolades for Kevin Patterson’s first book, Country of Cold marks another sparkling achievement in his promising career.
Synopsis
A Vintage Tales Book.
Graduating from high school in a small Canadian town, you are immediately faced with two stark choices: leave or stay. Country of Cold follows the stories of a disparate group of Dunsmuir, Manitobas class of 1980, most of whom leave, imagining that life happens elsewhere. They flee to the freedom of the big cities of the world and the far corners of Canada, but many end up feeling rootless and alone, whether as a physician in an Arctic Inuit community, a temporary boyfriend in Paris, or a student in the McGill Ghetto. The characters attempt to unravel the impossible puzzles of adulthood -- searching for answers by hurtling over falls in a barrel, building a boat to escape a teen-daughter-gone-bad, or embarking on an unlikely affair with a two-bit wrestler.
Kevin Patterson won international accolades for his wonderfully observed and moving memoir, The Water in Between. This fiction debut confirms him as a major new literary talent.
About the Author
Kevin Patterson grew up in Manitoba, and put himself through medical school by enlisting in the Canadian army. When his service was up, he worked as a doctor in the Arctic and on the coast of British Columbia while studying for his MFA. He is the author of the bestselling The Water in Between. He resides on Salt Spring Island.