Felt by Mark Blagrave | The Miramichi Reader

Matthew’s life is falling apart — mostly he has only himself to blame — and he takes the opportunity to go home to his mother, to the small seaside town where he grew up. Penelope, an independent 96-year-old, suddenly finds herself adrift in memories, but which ones are hers and which are her mother, Thora’s, she can’t quite tease out. As her grasp on reality slithers through her arthritic fingers, she finds herself living in three worlds: her mother’s of the First World War, hers of the Second World War, and the present which is fast being taken from her control. Matthew is faced with putting his mother in a home, dealing with the physical remains of three generations of lives, and the idea that his own memories of his life may not be as secure as he thinks. His dilemma: should he return to Toronto, to his safe job and his crumbling marriage, or stay in his hometown to support his failing mother and rescue his own sense of self.

Felt is acclaimed author and playwright Mark Blagrave’s third novel and fourth book, and a deeply moving portrait of the relationship between a mother and son, between a man and the strong women surrounding him. It is a study of women making empowering choices, and of the men who sometimes force them into those choices. It is a statement on the ephemeral and inconsistent state of our memories. It is a harsh portrayal of the cruel thief which Alzheimer’s is.

A deeply moving portrait of the relationship between a mother and son, between a man and the strong women surrounding him. It is a study of women making empowering choices, and of the men who sometimes force them into those choices. It is a statement on the ephemeral and inconsistent state of our memories. It is a harsh portrayal of the cruel thief which Alzheimer’s is.

As with Blagrave’s previous works, his narrative is driven and advanced by both his delicious prose, and his richly drawn, flawed, yet sympathetic characters. In this book, as in all his stories, Blagrave shows his mastery of dialogue, penning witty, pithy exchanges between characters which elevate the story, and graciously invite the reader into deeper thought. The picturesque town of St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick plays a supporting role, infusing the novel with its complex history and physical beauty. Threaded all through is homage paid to the plethora of talented artisans who make St. Andrew’s and its surrounding area home.

This is a beautiful book, moving, thought-provoking, sometimes funny and curiously reassuring about the inevitable, inescapable, always messy course of life.

Mark Blagrave was born and raised in Ontario, and has lived in New Brunswick. His first novel, Silver Salts, was shortlisted for the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Novel and the 2009 Margaret and John Savage First Book Award (Atlantic Book Awards). His short stories have been published regularly in leading Canadian literary journals, including The New Quarterly and The Fiddlehead, and his plays have been produced professionally and in university theatres. Formerly a professor at Mount Allison University, Blagrave now lives in London, Ontario, where he is Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at Huron College.

Publisher: Cormorant Books (August 6, 2024)
Paperback 8.5″ x 5.5″ | 312 pages
ISBN: 9781770867567

Heather McBriarty

Heather McBriarty is an author, lecturer and Medical Radiation Technologist based in Saint John, NB. Her love of reading and books began early in life, as did her love of writing, but it was the discovery of old family correspondence that led to her first non-fiction book, Somewhere in Flanders: Letters from the Front,and a passion for the First World War. She has delivered lectures to the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, NB Genealogy Society, and Western Front Association (Central Ontario Branch), among others, on the war. Heather’s first novel of the “Great War”, Amid the Splintered Trees, was launched in November 2021.