Page 20 - Giv'er Miramichi Magazine - Christmas-Winter Giver 2024

Book Review

By James Fisher

Our December Guest:

Maritime Christmas Stories by Wayne Curtis

My copy of this book arrived in early September,
not through Canada Post, but by a surprise appearance
in my dooryard by the author himself. He was in
Miramichi to drop off copies of his newest release and
he was kind enough to stop by and hand deliver a copy
for this review.
I have reviewed many of Wayne’s compilations of
short stories over the years, and I’m always glad when
a new release comes along. While I am likely 20 years
his junior and come from another part of Canada, his
stories of growing up in rural New Brunswick always
strike a chord with me, as they are by turns melancholy,
cheerful and reflective. They are stories that can be read
again and again because they are more of a reminiscence
than a story with a beginning, middle and end. You can
pick up Wayne’s books and delve in at any point.
Our December Guest: Maritime Christmas Stories
is a bit of a misleading title as the titular story is not
about a bearded man in a red suit coming down the
chimney, nor are all the stories about Christmas, which
I liked to see, as not everyone has fond memories of this
time of year. Many of the stories are set in the time
before (late fall) and around the holiday, such as
“Autumn in the Country”, “A Fall Story” and “The
Bonfire”, just to name a few.
As with all of Wayne’s stories, there is an
autobiographical tone to them, although names are grown up with alder and spruce. Sally, Joey and I get
different throughout each story, and one (“Winter together but rarely now. We have each grown in our own
Road”) is even told in a female voice. way, in different directions. But like our family ties that
“The Growing Season” one of the shortest stories in stretch across an entire continent, and beyond, the old
the collection, showcases Wayne’s gift for framing a home as we knew it lives like life's most valuable
story through a reflective lens. Two days before possessions, those of the mind.
Christmas, Billy, the narrator and his cousin are playing Our December Guest is another fine collection of
golf in Ontario, they jump in a car and drive straight to Wayne Curtis stories, many of which have been
New Brunswick through a snowstorm to make a surprise published in different journals over the years. They have
visit to his folks and his younger siblings, who are still (and will) stand the test of time.
living at the old homestead. Ten years later, he reflects:
The old home as we knew it is no longer visible; the James Fisher is a resident of Miramichi along with his wife
house and buildings have been burned and a log cabin Diane, Eddie the Tabby Cat and Buster the Border Collie.
constructed on the house's foundation. The fields have James works at the Miramichi Hospital in the MRI
Department.
20 www.GiverMiramichi.com Christmas 2024