Sho and the Demons of the Deep

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, Japan Foundation Fellow 1991-92, and the author of
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Home and As Though Life Mattered:
Leo Kennedy’s Story.

Sho and the Demons of the Deep is a psychological and spiritual parable
in the guise of a folk tale. In a tiny fishing hamlet in ancient Japan,
the villagers rid themselves of nightmares by throwing them into the
sea, until the waters become too dangerous and disturbed to fish. Sho, a
little girl who has “the rare gift of looking into the hearts of all
living things, and even inside the rocks and the stones, the moon and
the stars,” is asked to help. She advises the people to play with
their dreams, expose them to light, and toss them into the air. As a
result, the kite is born and the seas become more manageable; children
and adults send their kites “soaring into the sun and the wind.”

Galouchko dedicates this stunningly beautiful book to the Japanese
wood-block artist Hokusai Katsushika, who served as “guide and
inspiration” for her inner journey. Best known for his stylized waves
and the intimate details of his narrative scenes, Hokusai’s influence
can be felt in Galouchko’s bold and colorful art. Indeed, motifs in
ancient textiles as well as the ukiyo-e prints of Hokusai can be
detected in the book.

Galouchko is a flutist as well as a painter and wordsmith. Whatever the
medium, her art joins magic and fantasy to human truths. Highly
recommended.