The fictionalized biography of a young man who learns to survive in a metropolitan city.
This is a fact-based novel that follows the adventures of Jay, a teenager who heads south to escape the isolation of his dysfunctional family in the wilderness of Northern Canada.
Winnipeg, the capital city of Manitoba, becomes the locale for Jay's experiences with the gay community, the occult, native shamanism, the drug culture, vegetarianism and a rich girlfriend.
Through his experiences with his friends and the acceptance of two older men, Jay matures from the egocentricity of youth to a burgeoning social conscience as he learns to cope with his homophobic feelings and the challenges of his new world.
The nineteen vegetarian recipes included in the appendix are designed to be nourishing and enjoyable for nonvegetarians as well.
Excerpt
He remembered the root cellar where his family store meat and vegeables wrestled from their tiny garden. A wooden door led to steps down to a crudely excavated space. Jay would descend the steps as salamanders and frogs scurried from the lantern light. The cool, damp walls made ideal conditions for storage, but not an innviting environment for humans. Jay would fill a little pail with vegetables and flee as quickly as possible back to the fresh air and sunshine above. Then there were the times when he was banished to the cellar by his mother or one of her friends. Jay would sit and watch the flickering light, hoping to be released from his underground prison before it burnt out.
Jay always slept near a beam of moonlight to hold at bay the demons from his subconscious memory that might come to haunt him in the dark silence of the night.
The man unlocked the deadbolt and pushed the door open, releasing a rush of stagnant air.
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Reviews for "Spirits of a Feather"
Reviewed by Troy Smith
4/23/2001
This is a book I finished recently, and which I really liked. It is the story of Jay, a young boy who leaves home because he can't take the abuse anymore and heads off to the big city (in this case, Winnipeg). He has $11 in his pocket and nowhere to go. He is incredibly naive and is (lucky for him) befriended by Phil who takes him in and begins the process of teaching Jay to open his mind and grow.
Jay's experiences with the gay community, vegetarianism, a native shaman, drug dealers, a medium and the family of his rich girlfriend teach him about the varieties of life and people and help him to heal his own prejudices and find his own way in the world. He learns to see people not as labels and stereotypes, as he explores his own identity.
I liked this book because I have known a lot of Jays in this world - full of pain, ignorance and anger and I really enjoyed the characters whose paths he crosses. I like to see stories of growth and release from our demons.
The vegetarian recipes are a cool touch.
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