The Man Who Beat the Man

John Walker is a professor of Spanish at Queen’s University.

Born in Trinidad, F.B. André has been a Canadian resident since 1971.
Most of the 10 stories in this first collection have appeared in
magazines and journals.

Reflecting the author’s own experience, the stories explore themes of
emigration/immigration and typically feature cosmopolitan narrators.
“Wrestling from Chicago” captures the essence of the narrator’s
childhood in Trinidad, a childhood dominated by a formidable grandmother
with a taste for televised wrestling. In “Jump Up and Kiss You,” set
against the backdrop of the U.S. moon mission, a young islander is sent,
via taxi, to visit his aunt. In “Bienvenue au Canada,” a Canadian
Guyanian returns to Canada after the death of her husband to renew an
acquaintanceship with an old university friend. In “Jes Grew,” a
15-year-old Trinidadian confronts his roots and Rastafarian dreams in
Red Deer, Alberta.

The most ambitious piece is home to “Mr. Lu’s Garden,” a 35-page
novella whose characters (including a draft dodger and a Cambodian war
veteran) await their fate in a Canadian cancer clinic—a strong finish
to a fine collection.