The Second Season of Jonas MacPherson (3rd ed)

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Winner of the Dartmouth Book Award

On the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, 69-year-old Jonas MacPherson lives with his pigeons roosting in his old cars, with the “pugilistic” ocean literally on his doorstep, and the memories of his late wife, Eleanor, still dancing in his head. He’s lonely and the doctor has given him a year to live, but Jonas knows that this is not true. He’s found a way to live in the past, with all the people he’s cared about in his life. With no desire to eat, he reaches a mystical place where worlds converge, where he is again young and vigorous.

He exists in “this temporal house,” moving comfortably between the rooms, aware of the dangers of what he’s doing but seduced by the rewards it offers: the memories and emotions he can relive.

Told episodically through significant moments in his life, MacPherson’s tale reveals moments of danger, even of violence, but also those of profound love and intense longing. Always at the heart of his story is the nurturing yet unforgiving ocean and the beautiful ruggedness of the Eastern Shore.

Is Jonas MacPherson suffering from dementia or is he finding amazingly creative ways to live out his existence? He himself is unsure. Whatever it is that he is experiencing, he is filled with energy, rage and humour as he looks upon his world, past and present, and recalls the memorable characters, adventures, and a pervading rugged gentleness that has guided his life.

Told in Choyce’s lyrical prose and peopled with a cast of odd and compelling characters, The Second Season of Jonas MacPherson is an uplifting story for our beleaguered times. It is a novel with an engaging tale of a man living on the edge in many ways, but it is also a thoughtful and thought-provoking exploration of ageing, of going on with life when the people who made it most meaningful have passed.

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