House Built of Rain

Ronald Charles Epstein is a Toronto-based freelance writer and published poet.

Russell Thornton’s verse does not sear one’s consciousness, but
settles in memory; reading the book may prompt the reader to recall the
man and his ideas.

Thornton certainly did not assemble this collection to educate readers
about his North Vancouver birthplace, but he shatters outsiders’
misconceptions. His memories of childhood poverty may surprise those who
view that municipality as a scenic, exclusive Vancouver suburb and
consign British Columbia’s Lower Mainland grit to the notorious
Downtown Eastside.

Some poets and singer-songwriters describe the conception of their
children; this poet moves to the next level by imagining “The Day of
My Beginning.” Readers who are familiar with the works of the American
playwright Tennessee Williams may appreciate this poem. When the writer
describes his father as a “Grade eleven ... doomed drunk who ... yells
down the school corridor for his woman,” that loser becomes a
secondary-school Stanley Kowalski, the macho antihero of Williams’s A
Streetcar Named Desire. Unfortunately, the Thorntons’ marriage
eventually foundered, leaving several troublesome sons in its wake.

The writer has experienced hardships, but does not allow his sufferings
to coarsen his soul. He describes his deceased maternal grandparents
with an articulate compassion that allows readers to discover their own
emotions; he does not spoon-feed them morsels of sentiment.

“Nogales Prostitutes” showcases Thornton’s ability to assess the
wider world. His description of Mexican bar-girls as “lolling and
demure, / junior high school cheerleaders ... trying to look kittenish,
cute- / but pockmarked, sick looking” captures this scene’s sad
sleaze. He buys a bottle of brandy and leaves, realizing that it is
better to be an articulate witness than a satisfied client.

Thornton’s poetry succeeds because he skilfully handles the reality
that he presents to perceptive readers.