A major belief of Lost Telegram Press is archiving. We want to preserve ideas that may be lost to time. One way of doing that is by reviewing books. This review is a great example of this archival ideal as it was a library find, and in the ‘free’ section. Although this should not reflect the quality of the book. It had some bent pages and a dog-eared cover, which relegates many books to the free boxes because even library used-book stores want near-perfect condition for the books for sale. It has something to do with business I guess (tongue-in-cheek).
The cover caught my eye. It is self-published, Canadian and I only had to read a few lines to get caught up in it.
Orianna (1999), a novella by Jeremy Le Page, published by Le Page Studios of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. ISBN: 0-9684504-1-5
Orianna appears to be Le Page’s second book, after All Who Walk Lightly, but it was hard to find confirm as I could find no information on either book online.
This book is layered with Canadian content and in a very Canadian way, it is not at all obvious, but gives you the very feeling of the unspoken language of the winters up north.
Sure there are Ontario cities named like London, Kingston and Toronto that places the book in Ontario. But like I said, Le Page paints the feelings of winter here in Ontario in such a soft way, like a cold sheet on a bed. That is the quality of writing that shows life in Ontario that names of cities cannot describe.
This is one of the rare books that I could only read so much, sometimes just a few paragraphs, because I found the work so contemplative that I had to get up, walk around the Ontario city I am living in and think a while on what Le Page has created. It is such a joy to read.
There is a sense of mysticism that he writes into the characters and text as at times they foretell the future. Like when the character Jon remarks on a plucked evergreen sprig, that later is like a life-force to a sick Elizabeth.
There is also the eloquent way that Le Page talks about the creeping death of winter in Ontario in a way that is part of life; nothing to be sad about, maybe quiet, but also peacefully observant. “Heaven awaits patiently all who bleed. I knew as soon as we left and walked Orianna home that a new mood gripped Jon. He had become quiet and just smiled when spoken to. I knew that he would leave again the next day to visit Elizabeth.” This is Ontario winters. It is life in the face of death. It is a quiet solace in a existential time. The characters and the landscape of the book tell it all so well.
And it’s that quiet that comes with winter that Le Page proseticizes in such a wonderfully Ontario way. He is also gifted in creating the sense of aloneness but where the character is not lonely. “Although every movement in my apartment echoed in emptiness, it was the quietest night I had ever witnessed there. No cars attempted to drive the ice-coated roads. No noises came from neighbours or passers-by.”
Orianna is really a great piece of Ontario and Canadian writing. I hope you can find a copy if this is a subject matter that reaches out to you. It sure did for me.
NOTE: I had contacted Jeremy by way of postcard, addressed to the P. O. Box on the book and just as I was publishing this review, he sent me a message online. He wanted readers to know that if they would like to get a copy of Orianna from him to please contact him at jlepage55@hotmail.com. I am sure he would love to hear from you.
