Country of Cold

Douglas Ivison is an assistant professor of English at Lakehead
University in Thunder Bay.

Kevin Patterson first came to the attention of Canadian readers with his
travel memoir, The Water in Between. Country of Cold, his second book
and his first work of fiction, proves that he has much to offer. A
collection of linked stories, Country of Cold is moving, enigmatic,
sometimes funny, exceedingly well written, and filled with memorable
characters.

Varying widely in setting (from Paris and Montreal to the Arctic and
small Prairie towns), character (doctor, adolescent boy, bartender,
graduate student, bookkeeper, etc.), and time (set over the past 20
years or so), the stories are linked by the characters’ relationship
to Dunsmuir, Manitoba, a small prairie town in which most of them grew
up and then fled. The diverse characters are generally misfits and
loners whose lives are marked by disappointment, failure, and public
humiliation, yet Patterson portrays them with dignity and empathy as
they struggle to find purpose and meaning in their lives. The graceful
way in which the author intertwines the characters’ lives throughout
the collection is highly effective. Even when a plot device seems a bit
clunky and clichéd, such as the high-school reunion in the concluding
story, “Manitoba Avenue,” Patterson’s writing and his engaging
characters make it work.

This is a book that I didn’t want to end, and that I look forward to
rereading. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in
memorable characters and strong writing. Patterson is a writer to watch.