THE MOON OF LETTING GO

Description

Extending the tradition of Aboriginal storytelling, Richard Van Camp’s new collection is eloquently and humorously optimistic. The stories in The Moon of Letting Go celebrate healing through modern day rituals that honour his Dogrib ancestry. Van Camp speaks in a range of powerful voices: a violent First Nations gangster has an astonishing spiritual experience, a single mother is protected from her ex by a dangerous medicine man, and a group of young men pay tribute to a friend by streaking through their northern town. The stories are set in First Nations communities in the Northwest Territories, Vancouver and rural British Columbia. They have been broadcast on the CBC, and appeared in anthologies, the Walrus, Prairie Fire, and other journals.  The Moon of Letting Go was also shortlisted for the 2010 ReLit Awards.

• LONGLIST for the Relit Awards

“Van Camp, a Dogrib from Fort Smith, NWT, which hides superficially in his town Fort Simmer, gives us a vision of the North which in its own way is as distinct and rich as Flannery O’Connor’s South.” — Rory Runnells, Winnipeg Free Press

“Again drawing on his Dogrib Nation background [Van Camp] seamlessly blends the beauty, violence, and pride of Aboriginal life with brutally disarming prose.”— Matt Baker, Quill and Quire

“Richard Van Camp is a magical storyteller in the old-school sense, fully capable of holding an audience enthralled with his voice alone…These are important stories, recounted with deep compassion and an unflinching eye.”                 — Alexander Varty, The Georgia Straight

“Vancouver-based Richard Van Camp is arguably one of the leading short story writers in Canada. Van Camp… has so clearly listened to how people talk, the music and spirit of their language becoming his.” — Sean Flinn, The Coast

“Van Camp is a masterful storyteller who knows how to reach even the most cynical of hearts. The collection is compelling. It is both an homage to hopefulness and a departure from it.” — Mette Bach, Vancouver Review

“Van Camp’s stories are a box of fine chocolates, some sweet, some bittersweet. All of them delicious.” — Thomas King, author of Green Grass, Running Water

“Van Camp’s stories are about the sheer exuberance of storytelling…” — Sophie McCall, Canadian Literature