Cameraman

B.J. Busch is associate librarian, Access and Information Services,
Cameron Library, University of Alberta.

For film director Detritus Kozme (“Koz”), life’s significance is
determined by the camera. And so, when a life is taken, it is only
fitting that the camera be there to record it. Is Koz guilty of
cold-blooded murder, or is this an assisted suicide? Or is it something
else?

The sometimes surreal story unravels through flashbacks, as we come to
know the life histories of the two protagonists, the enigmatic Koz and
his lifelong friend Francis. Francis, a recovering alcoholic dubbed
“Walter” by Koz for his alleged resemblance to a youthful Walter
Matthau, is the cameraman, and it is from his perspective that the story
is told.

Bill Gaston is a skilful writer with a flair for language and for
bringing forth vivid and unexpected images: a teacher stares blankly
down into a void of a career; a woman is a step or two away from a
classic beauty, her nose being a tad too nosey; a decadent breakfast is
gastroporn. His novel is a carefully woven page-turner in which each
page provides new insights and new enigmas.