"The rooftop was where my father was the most comfortable, where he could be tall and survey life among the quiet chimneys, the broken shingles, the weathered skin of protection between families and the sky."Between Families and the Sky is a two-part novel about love in all its mysterious forms. "The Hole in the Kitchen Floor" tells the story of James Kinnell's teenage years--his grandfather's permanent visit, his mother's new romance after his father's death, and especially his kaleidoscopic feelings for his friend Mirele.
In "The Memory Holes of Garland Rose," a young architect replays scenes from a childhood shaped by the death of her mother, her father's fixation on golf, and the sexual heat between her father and her teacher. As Alan Cumyn draws these searchers together, he creates extended families of complex, loving and eccentric people whose lives dovetail into a rich and satisfying resolution.
"In this two-part coming of age
narrative, Cumyn tells interconnected stories about fragmented, dysfunctional
families and the lonely eccentrics they spawn. This is an intelligent and
moving romance about two people who had just about given up on finding love
when, miraculously, they find each other. Cumyn's writing is so beautiful and
convincing that it seems effortless, and his characters are so vividly realized
that they stay with you long after you close the book." The New
Brunswick Telegraph Journal
"Cumyn creates strong, distinct, and
convincing narrative voices, and his characters are believable. He conveys a
strong sense of characters' inner lives through their words and actions.
Cumyn's account of a young man reaching puberty is funny, accurate, and
sympathetic; he seems equally comfortable with female sexuality. The prose
style is refreshing and metaphorical.... Between Families and the Sky
successfully expores the search for love and meaning in family life. It
ultimately affirms the wild fecundity of life that transcends both individual
and family limitations."Quill & Quire
"Just as captivating as the actual
story is Cumyn's writing. His adroitness in describing people, events and
feelings is striking, and his characters' dialogue is natural and believable. I
often found myself rereading passages where he managed, with just a few words
or sentences, to evoke my own childhood emotions with clarity and
exactness." The Ottawa Citizen
"Cumyn's style recalls that of Thomas
Raddall, Alistair MacLeod, and David Adams Richards--the plain cadence that
opens up into grandeur. It would be a failure to not treasure, praise, this
book." Halifax Chronicle-Herald