Mad Boys

James Deahl, of Mekler & Deahl Publishers, is the author of Poetry
Markets for Canadians, Under the Watchful Eye: Poetry and Discourse,
Even This Land Was Born of Light, and Mix Six.

Jamie Reid is the least well-known member of the TISH group, which
included Governor General’s Award winners George Bowering and Fred
Wah, as well as Frank Davey and David Dawson. We meet Reid the prose
writer in Mad Boys, which comprises an essay titled “Baseball &
Bowering” and a short story, “The Quest for the Mad Boy,”
illustrated by Gregg Simpson.

“Baseball & Bowering” is a rambling discussion that is sometimes
witty and clever, and occasionally insightful. As a homage to George
Bowering, it is written in a familiar Boweringesque style.
Unfortunately, it lacks the depth and zany associative content of
Bowering at his best. Reid’s fiction is another matter. In “The
Quest for the Mad Boy,” one finds imaginative daring and a sure hand
when it comes to narrative development. Unlike “Baseball &
Bowering,” in which Reid relies too heavily on humor as the driving
element, “The Quest for the Mad Boy” gains momentum through the
uninhibited flow of its language. The words are so finely chosen that
one almost fails to notice the actual story, interesting as it is. The
11 collages that accompany the story help to fill out this slender
volume, but a second story by Reid would have been more welcome.