Northwest Passages [Hardcover]

Barbara Roden has written a very satisfying collection of macabre tales in Northwest Passages; she combines a sharp intelligence with a wonderfully descriptive yet concise writing style. Also, she trusts the intelligence of the reader; she understands the special savor of a supernatural short story that leaves the right unanswered questions. Her special interest and expertise in the history of Arctic and Antarctic exploration come to effective use in one or two of the stories; and yet one of the very best stories takes place near her home in British Columbia. Any fan of dark tales and ghost stories would do well to add this book to their collection. Watch for more work from this writer!

Barbara Roden's eerie stories here can be favorably compared with the best of Edith Wharton and British author, Robert Aickman, the kind of "strange" fiction that leaves you with an unsettled feeling and perhaps a desire to lock the door and draw the shades. The story, "Northwest Passages" alone is worth the price of admission, however, all of the stories in this volume are fabulous. I don't think I'll ever forget "The Wide, Wide Sea" about a woman who moves with her new husband to one of the most desolate places on the planet, the isolated and vast prairies of Canada. In fact, many of these tales have to do with isolation and loneliness and despair and, like Aickman's work, there are usually no explicit ghostly visitations, only the dreamlike, unsettling psychological terrain that hints at something supernatural, something menacing lurking at the edge of human consciousness.

These are all original and well-written stories and, as is mentioned in the introduction by Michael Dirda, what's even more impressive is the author's range of settings, from a haunted bookstore, to a Vancouver hotel, to a cabin in the woods, to the Arctic, to an abandoned amusement park. At every turn there is something very creepy going on.

Highly recommended. Also, the cover design is gorgeous. A very attractive book!

Usually I review a book almost immediately after it has been completed, but this book is not usual by any means. The stories in this book has been read & re-read by me over a long time, and the latest read concluded today. Finally, I think that a review of this book is in order, and here it goes (along with my thoughts about the contents): -

(*) Introduction by Michael Dirda, reasserts something that the readers of "All Hallows" magazine published by Ghost Story Society and other anthologies published by the respected Ash Tree Press, has been believing for a long time: Ms. Roden is too accomplished an author whose stories should get suppressed by her editorial (and other) demands.

1) The Appointed Time: characters and paragraphs from "Bleak House" constitutes the frame for this brilliantly crafted 'traditional' ghost story, dealing with crime & punishment.

2) Endless Night: a story that shivers me to the core every time I read it, irrespective of the temperatures prevailing at Ahemdabad, not just because of its backdrop (fittingly, Antarctica), but because of the terrifying images of loneliness & waste that it created.

3) The Palace: the fact that this story had certain auto-biographical elemnets (admitted by Ms. Roden in her story-notes) make the images evoked by it even more chilling, although, let me assure you, even as a 100% fictional piece it is a terrifying story, very well-told.

4) Out and Back: deserted/ruined fairs can be romantic from a distance, but what those who get trapped in their lure on a permanent basis? After reading this story, I am sure you will think twice before venturing out for some off-the-beaten-track fairs.

5) The Wide, Wide Sea: a very neatly told story that allows you to keep on thinking as to whether the protagonist had been driven to her death by her own loneliness, or by someone/something else.

6) The Brink of Eternity: story of a man's obsession where the search for something becomes not the aim of life, but life.

7) Tourist Trap: perhaps the plotline (an innocent outsider getting trapped by an evil entity without any mischief on her part) may be common, but the way the tale has been constructed makes it delicious, and the end, suitably nasty.

8) Northwest Passage: the best and the most terrifying story of this book, with the seemingly comforting descriptions & memories of the protagonist inexorably grooming us for the nerve-wrecking finale, while alluring all of us by the ancient & haunting beauty of wilderness which is vaster & older than we imagine.

9) The Hiding Palace: a sad story of childhood, loss, and yet with something far more darker & deeper that terrifies every parent.

10) After: people coming fresh from "The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher" would be acquainted with the characters, but even then they might find the darkness seeping through the pages rather overpowering.

(*) Story Notes & Introduction

Overall, this slim collection has made me (and I am sure that I am speaking for many a reader) rather impatiently expectant about another collection. Let's hope, the author immerses herself into the creation of another set of similarly superlative stories very soon. Until then, cherish this book and appreciate the stories.