REVIEW | By Frederick Rocque »  Think romance. And adventure. Let yourself discover long-tucked away memories and emotions. The title Calla & Édourd conjures up images of Love Story in a rural setting and, possibly an imagined link to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. But once you’ve read the first few pages, there’s no doubt it is indeed more a love story and less a Shakespearean tragedy.

This love story is set in Eastern Ontario as author Kathryn MacDonald gently leads readers into the countryside and into the life and times of Calla & Édourd.  MacDonald, who lives in Shannonville in Hastings County, punctuates the unfolding drama with deep insights into life against a backdrop of nature’s beauty. She breathes life into the characters as they populate the seven chapters in a treatise to love and a passion for life. 

Every so often, I’d pause between pages to savour the moment. I let the narrative paint word pictures that translated the author’s thoughts into real-life images in my mind. I particularly enjoyed the captivating description of the paddling and portaging, and the adventures along the St Lawrence River.                                                                                                                        

The romance of MacDonald’s words comes alive with meaning in reminiscences… such as how in the late June sunshine years ago, Calla gathered up calla blossoms and heart-shaped leaves and gave the bouquet and herself to Édourd… memories of their children Noah and Lys, and grief over the lost twins…of the ever-present Aunt B, who seemed representative of all grandmothers everywhere, of the Depression Era… of Édourd’s regret for not sharing his grandfather’s legends such as Loup Garou with their children, and of coyotes and bogeymen. Of how Noah and Lys grow up and leave home…loneliness! Of how Calla’s dementia weighs heavy on Édourd as he struggles to cope with her memory lapses and his helplessness.

In Calla & Édourd, the reader is treated to fleeting glimpses of the present as they overlap with the past – frequently resulting in a jolting return to reality…and on to an abrupt end to the chapter – in the lives of Calla & Édourd.

Perhaps, it’s the birth of another chapter…a reincarnation of love!

Written as a work of fiction, Calla & Édourd is the author’s gift of love to her family. I’d recommend this as a ‘must read’ for everyone who enjoys nature and the countryside, and especially to family and friends who might discover a bond with the author and the characters who have been foremost on her mind for a decade or so. For those unfamiliar with scenic Ontario, this is a great introduction to Canada’s leading province and its myriad wonders.

Calla & Édourd is published by Hidden Brook Press as part of the North Shore Series (ISBN-978-1-897475-39-3), and is available for $16.95. For details and other books in the North Shore Series, visit http://www.HiddenBrookPress.com/b-NShore.html

MacDonald is co-author with Mary Lou Morgan of The Farm and City Cookbook published by Second Story Press.