Some Sunny Day

R. Gordon Moyles is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Alberta. He is co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities:
British Views of Canada, 1880–1914, author of The Salvation Army and
the Public, and editor of “Improved by Cult

“What can I know is truth? Can I rely on my own thoughts? The gentle
voice of my thoughts tells me I have memories of times before this time,
times when some living part of me lived before. But I cannot assure
myself that these are matters of any tangible truth, except my faith in
myself.” So ponders one of the many characters in this fascinating set
of vignettes, set in various countries and at various times between 1280
and 2024, all of whom experience the reality of death as individuals and
are connected by their continuance through and beyond time. The stories
(vignettes? contemplations?) are quite enigmatic, and it takes more than
an ordinary concentration to keep all the characters, and their times,
in mind. But they are riveting in their unexpectedness. Davies’s range
of knowledge, from classical mythology to Buddhism to etymology, is
staggering; his insights into the human condition (especially the death
experience) are thought-provoking; and he writes with wit, grace, and
ingenuity.

Though many will find this book too challenging to sustain interest,
for those who get caught in his web of speculation the experience will
be wholly rewarding.