![]() ![]() ![]() But, more universally, they take on the ramifications of monumental social change on small traditional communities. They show the insularity of island life and some of the common challenges of isolation in the North Atlantic. MacLeod’s stories embody all of these elements. If you were to sit through an Island Studies class, you would learn the four primary characteristics of island life: totality, intimacy, monopoly, and exile. ![]() ![]() In his writing, Cape Breton Island acts as living laboratory to examine the larger changing world. This is the essence of Alistair MacLeod’s short stories. On the back cover of Island, Michael Ondaatje compares MacLeod to Faulkner and Chekhov in his use of regionalism to tell universal stories. He also has two books where existing writing was essentially repackaged: the story “To Every Thing There is a Season,” from his second collection, was reworked into an illustrated Christmas book and, the book I am reviewing here, Island, is all of the stories from his two previously published collections plus two unpublished stories. MacLeod has five books published, three of which are completely original works: The Lost Salt Gift of Blood, As Birds Bring Forth the Sun, and his only novel, No Great Mischief. I really think that there are no Canadian writers whose worldwide reputation is built on such little writing that is a testament to just how good his books are. Just his name evokes images of the Cape Breton landscape. As promised, my first book review of 2013! Alistair MacLeod. ![]()
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