Summer Gone
Encyclopedia
Summer Gone is the first novel by Canadian
writer David Macfarlane
. Published in 1999
by Knopf Canada, Summer Gone was a national bestseller in Canada. It was nominated for the Giller Prize, and won the Books in Canada First Novel Award
.
Macfarlane set this novel among the cottage country in northern Ontario
, the Waubano Reaches. Bailey, nicknamed Bay, tells of the three summers in his life: the summer he was 12 and attended the camp where he met his camp instructor Peter Larkin, the summer where he, his wife Sarah and 6 year old son rented a cottage near his old campsite and, the summer where he and his 12 year old son shared their extraordinary night.
Macfarlane uses a notable technique in the writing of Summer Gone, where he would start the story of one summer and drift into another. It may start with Bay telling of his tale at camp and then shift onto another thought which may have occurred decades later involving his wife or his son. This technique ties all of Bay's summer stories together into one when he tells it to his son. The narration of this story is told by Caz's half brother, from a one night stand of Bailey's, as an adult, retelling what Caz had told him.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
writer David Macfarlane
David Macfarlane
David Macfarlane is a Canadian journalist, playwright and novelist.He published a family memoir, The Danger Tree, in 1991...
. Published in 1999
1999 in literature
The year 1999 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*June 19 - Stephen King is hit by a Dodge van while taking a walk. He spends the next three weeks hospitalized...
by Knopf Canada, Summer Gone was a national bestseller in Canada. It was nominated for the Giller Prize, and won the Books in Canada First Novel Award
Books in Canada First Novel Award
The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a literary award given annually to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of Canada. It has been awarded since 1976....
.
Plot summary
The book deals with the life of Bailey Newling and his three lost summers. It tells the story of a divorced Bailey and his young son Caz, where on one fateful canoe trip, they share a remarkable night of truth and love.Macfarlane set this novel among the cottage country in northern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the Waubano Reaches. Bailey, nicknamed Bay, tells of the three summers in his life: the summer he was 12 and attended the camp where he met his camp instructor Peter Larkin, the summer where he, his wife Sarah and 6 year old son rented a cottage near his old campsite and, the summer where he and his 12 year old son shared their extraordinary night.
Macfarlane uses a notable technique in the writing of Summer Gone, where he would start the story of one summer and drift into another. It may start with Bay telling of his tale at camp and then shift onto another thought which may have occurred decades later involving his wife or his son. This technique ties all of Bay's summer stories together into one when he tells it to his son. The narration of this story is told by Caz's half brother, from a one night stand of Bailey's, as an adult, retelling what Caz had told him.