Quill & Quire
The “Bacon” in the title of this enjoyable comic debut from Calgary author Michael Davie is Bacon Sobelowski, an unprepossessing young man just out of high school and wondering what to do with his life. His options are limited, since the only thing he seems to like doing is fishing, and he isn’t even very good at that. His one goal in life, inspired by the wisdom of Kenny Rogers, is to find his special “someone.” This sets up a conventional plot, as Bacon, armed only with his secondhand Spincaster fishing rod with thumb-button trigger and Kamlooper lure, is nearly undone by a wild-at-heart first love, the evil ways of the big city (in this case, Calgary), the charms of a cousin who arrives by surprise from Korea, and a game of sexual bingo at a tourist camp. As with fictional progenitors like Candide and Joseph Andrews, Bacon is somewhat of a passive protagonist in all of this. Despite all of his agonizing over hormonal urges, he is at heart an innocent, naive in the ways of the flesh and the world. The fun revolves around the novel’s supporting cast of loonies, especially the horny, tough-as-nails, predatory women. Indeed, the world Bacon travels through is very much a woman’s world. The men he meets tend to be romantics – sentimental, kind-hearted, and obliging. Even the mysterious Laszlo Maximilian Mursky, one of the more bizarre creations in recent Canadian fiction, is a weirdly effete, uxorious villain. It is the women who are in control. Timing is the essence of comedy. Bacon complains of his “bad timing” throughout the book, but Davies’ timing is excellent. The dialogue maintains a nice rhythm for humorous emphases, the gags are well placed and developed, and the plot keeps all its balls in the air for the duration. Though it doesn’t entirely come together at the end, leaving a number of those balls still in play,
Fishing for Bacon nevertheless makes for a fun ride, with many laughs along the way.
Product Description
My names Bacon Sobelowski, and Im trying to find my someone. Kenny Rogers sings a song that says theres someone for everyone, and in Bellevue where I live, Kenny Rogers word is gold. Its just too bad my mother thinks girls turn boys into pigs, but thats probably just because my father had enough of her Eggos and walked out.But maybe shes right. Im not sure if Sarah is my someone because she got mad and smashed chili peppers into a cut on my head, and maybe my someone wouldnt do that. Karla could be it because she lets me stay at her condo, but she might be too old to be my someone. Then theres Mr. Kwons daughter, but shes sort of my cousin and Im not sure if sort-of cousins can be someones at the same time.I think it might all come down to timing, and if thats true then Im in trouble. Im Bacon Sobelowskiwho knows if Ill ever find my someone.
