About the Author

Matt Cohen is the author of 13 novels. His books have been published in 9 languages. He lived in Toronto, Ontario until his death in 1999.

Reviews

"A quiet yet haunting tale of love and loss...Cohen relates all these stories with energy and grace." --Andrea King Collier, The New York Times Book Review "Matt Cohen creates a multitudinous cast...so generously....Everyone is blessed....A prize- thoughtful, beautifully written, real in its distractions and complexities." --Susan Grimm, The Cleveland Plain Dealer "A strong, spare, autumnal tale of loss and redemption...An extremely satisfying work, finding new depth in old themes, and offering a fitting memorial to a talented, deeply humane writer." --Kirkus Reviews "Lively, strong, bursting with juice, quirky, and unpredictable...A real novel shaped by its characters rather than jamming them into a formula." --Michael Morris, Los Angeles Times

Winner of Canada's prestigious Governor-General's Award, this is an incredibly intricate novel about a small town and its people. West Gull is in Ontario but could be anywhere in the world where small towns survive. Protagonist Carl McKelvey, who is reminiscent of Richard Russo's characters, particularly Sam Hall in The Risk Pool, returns to West Gull for reasons seemingly unknown to him and others in town. In West Gull, Carl had left an ex-wife and a daughter, a dead mother, an old father, and a reputation as a violent drunk. Hoping to rebuild his life, he reestablishes contact with his seven-year-old daughter, Lizzie, but finds that the memory of his mother, Elizabeth, who touched everyone in town to some degree and who died in a car crash when Carl was at the wheel, is a strong impediment. Now, Carl must put that memory and guilt to rest before moving on. Cohen's novel is packed with humor, desperation, and romance. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.--Patricia Gulian, South Portland, ME Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

"A quiet yet haunting tale of love and loss...Cohen relates all these stories with energy and grace." --Andrea King Collier, The New York Times Book Review "Matt Cohen creates a multitudinous cast...so generously....Everyone is blessed....A prize- thoughtful, beautifully written, real in its distractions and complexities." --Susan Grimm, The Cleveland Plain Dealer "A strong, spare, autumnal tale of loss and redemption...An extremely satisfying work, finding new depth in old themes, and offering a fitting memorial to a talented, deeply humane writer." --Kirkus Reviews "Lively, strong, bursting with juice, quirky, and unpredictable...A real novel shaped by its characters rather than jamming them into a formula." --Michael Morris, Los Angeles Times