Simon Peters, a bookbinder full of theories on everything from heart-broken shrimp to the consciousness of DNA, is hiding from his horrific past in the basement of the Calgary City Library. Enter Minerva, a twenty-two-year-old student. Her ghostly resemblance to Simon's dead sister compels him to reveal the shocking story of the various natural disasters that killed his family. But Simon's story does not add up. When he finds Minerva bleeding on his bathroom floor, he must conquer the tyranny of his own memory and confront what really happened that summer of 1962. But the truth proves no less confounding, or tragic, than the original tale.
Man and Other Natural Disasters
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
"In?an and Other Natural Disasters, Nerys Parry demonstrates a powerful talent. She draws the reader into a delightfully strange story with a narrative that is in turns funny and heartbreaking. Parry’s deep affection for the infinite wondrous details of our world is evident from start to finish." — Gail Anderson—Dargatz "Parry? prose is enjoyable and elegant and spiced with clever metaphors." — The Winnipeg Free Press "Parry is a richly talented writer, and her first novel is an absorbing, rewarding read." — Kerry Clare, Pickle Me This ". . . find a comfortable place to settle in, and begin reading one of the most intriguing, magical pieces of fiction you?e experienced in years." — Aaron, opinionless.com
From the Back Cover
Simon Peters, a bookbinder full of theories on everything from heart—broken shrimp to the consciousness of DNA, is hiding from his horrific past in the basement of the Calgary City Library. Enter Minerva, a twenty—two year—old student. Her ghostly resemblance to Simon’s dead sister compels him to slowly reveal the shocking story of the various natural disasters that killed his family. But Simon’s story does not add up. When he finds Minerva bleeding on his bathroom floor, he must conquer the tyranny of his own memory and confront what really happened that summer of 1962.?ut the truth proves no less confounding, or tragic, than the original tale.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Jasmine Aziz
Format:Paperback
This novel is very well written and a true page turner. Nerys creates a "feeling" for the book from the first page and carries it effortlessly throughout the novel. Her character Simon is so well developed that by the end of the book I felt like I knew him personally. There are scenes so haunting and well written that they leave a strong imagery in the mind due largely to Parry's fluid writing style.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Read
Jan 29 2012
By Jaidis Shaw
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Man & Other Natural Disasters by Nerys Parry is nothing at all like I expected. I was drawn in from the following quote in the prologue:
"Fire, the most decisive element, devoured my sister first. Not long after her last ember had cooled, Earth swallowed my father. Then, not to be outdone, Air, the breath and will of the heavens themselves, swept up my mother. And so you see, by some democracy of the Gods, I have been left to the Waters." ~Nerys Parry
As the story progressed I found that the story was much deeper and more complex than what I originally thought. We meet Simon, a man with little relationships who spends his time locked in a basement office as he mends worn out books. Having experienced several tragic events in his life, he prefers to be a recluse so that he won't risk losing anyone else important to him.
Soon Minerva enters his life and old feelings start to emerge as she shares a striking resemblance to his dead sister. Just as things are starting to look up and he feels the faintest glimmer of love, he arrives home to a startling scene that causes his mind to snap. It is at this point that the book took a turn that I hadn't expected.
Nerys Parry has done a great job allowing us to peak inside the mind of Simon and you will feel the ups, downs, confusion and more as if you are a character in the story. It was hard for me to keep up with the story at times because one paragraph would be in present tense and the next paragraph would jump to a flashback but over all this was an interesting and great read.
"Fire, the most decisive element, devoured my sister first. Not long after her last ember had cooled, Earth swallowed my father. Then, not to be outdone, Air, the breath and will of the heavens themselves, swept up my mother. And so you see, by some democracy of the Gods, I have been left to the Waters." ~Nerys Parry
As the story progressed I found that the story was much deeper and more complex than what I originally thought. We meet Simon, a man with little relationships who spends his time locked in a basement office as he mends worn out books. Having experienced several tragic events in his life, he prefers to be a recluse so that he won't risk losing anyone else important to him.
Soon Minerva enters his life and old feelings start to emerge as she shares a striking resemblance to his dead sister. Just as things are starting to look up and he feels the faintest glimmer of love, he arrives home to a startling scene that causes his mind to snap. It is at this point that the book took a turn that I hadn't expected.
Nerys Parry has done a great job allowing us to peak inside the mind of Simon and you will feel the ups, downs, confusion and more as if you are a character in the story. It was hard for me to keep up with the story at times because one paragraph would be in present tense and the next paragraph would jump to a flashback but over all this was an interesting and great read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Entertaining!
Jan 24 2012
By Black Diamond's Book Reviews
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Simon works in the basement of the Calgary City Library. He does book repair and maintenance. He was born on August 20, 1947, the last day of the drought. A woman is sent in to help figure out how to cut costs on book repairs, and she looks like his sister who died in a fire. He also has a roommate named Claude.
The chapters were divided into water, air, earth and fire. The way Simon describes what a baby must feel like in childbirth (like what things you would have to do all at once to simulate it) really sounds scary! He describes the art of repairing a book.
I wasn't sure what was actually going on. There were different events that were described in the story, but in the end it was all revealed. I was very surprised at what was revealed at the end! This sure was an entertaining book that had a surprise at the end. Very well written story! I look forward to reading more books by Nerys Parry.
Cheryl
Black Diamond's Book Reviews
The chapters were divided into water, air, earth and fire. The way Simon describes what a baby must feel like in childbirth (like what things you would have to do all at once to simulate it) really sounds scary! He describes the art of repairing a book.
I wasn't sure what was actually going on. There were different events that were described in the story, but in the end it was all revealed. I was very surprised at what was revealed at the end! This sure was an entertaining book that had a surprise at the end. Very well written story! I look forward to reading more books by Nerys Parry.
Cheryl
Black Diamond's Book Reviews
›
Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
