Entries by Russell Sutherland

Every author worth their salt wishes to write the Great Name-Your-Country Novel. Well if there is such a thing for places like Canada, America or perhaps England I think I've found it. Eureka!

Disclaimer:
This dear old gentle reader only consumes novels at the rate of 4 or 5 per decade so he may indeed not recognize the Great Canadian Novel even if presented with a gold plated dust cover by a seasoned bibliophile like ARW

I first encountered this book in the fall of 2003 while waiting in the Willard the Van for Rachel to finish her guitar lesson and passing the time by listening to CBC Radio's Vinyl Cafe

Stuart MacLean, the affable host of this weekly folksy programme that features home spun music and stories, was recounting his reading of a book while traveling from Vancouver to Toronto. He mentioned that the story was so gripping and emotionally charged that he broke down in tears, right there on the plane while flipping the final few pages. I'm not the kind of guy to get sucked into Madison Avenue marketing but his passionate recommendation jarred by brain cells and perhaps even my heart. Not enough of course to remember the details of the book when I got home from my chauffeuring. I did however tune in the next day to a repeat broadcast to scribble down the book title and its author.

....or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

I've been in constant pain for the past 25 years. And quite acute pain for the past 5. (Welcome to the real world Uncle Russ.) Now I can better identify with the great suffering masses who crawl around the globe each day, many in search of food and shelter. Perhaps their pain is a given. Mine helps to focus the thoughts away from self and towards the bigger questions of:

why is the world full of pain?
what is the purpose of pain?
is a world without pain a hopeful future reality.?