A 2004 Giller Prize finalist, this book is no slouch on the Canadian literary scene nor is—or rather
was—its author. The book? Galveston by Paul Quarrington. Published by Vintage
Canada, a division of Random House Canada.

The novel follows the strange and sometimes savage lives of a small group of
people who find themselves, either willingly or unwillingly on a small island in
the Caribbean facing a force-five hurricane. The willing characters are the most
interesting, and therefore the focus of the novel. Caldwell is a millionaire who
lost a lot in life but isn’t quite sure whether his losses really were losses or just
releases from a life he never really wanted. He follows storms hoping for some final
release or divine intervention that’ll focus his senses in a way that nothing else can.
Beverley is a walking, talking tragedy, someone who has had everything stripped
away, almost before she even started and her attraction to storms is intense and
sexual and hovering on deathwish. Jimmy Newton is a professional storm chaser,
a geek of the highest order, a weather junkie, and definitely a man who in every
sense gets off on storms. They gather on a tiny forgotten island—together with a
handful of others, locals and tourists—to face Hurricane Claire. Caldwell, Beverley,
and Newton go to feel—something. Alive? The fury of nature? A connection to some
spirituality otherwise missing in everyday life? Whatever it is, they’re drawn to it
like moths to a light.

Galveston is an incredibly well-written book. It’s tragic but not depressing. It’s full
of moments of pathos and quirky humour. The characters are weird and realistic,
like people you meet briefly in an airport bar at two in the morning, and as they tell
you their stories, you feel sucked in but can’t quite believe everything you hear, like
they’re painting a caricature of themselves but then a hint of sadness in the corner
of their eyes, lighted by dim lights behind the bar tells you it’s all true. Everything
they’re telling you is real. Paul Quarrington was an exceptional writer and I wish
I’d had the opportunity to meet him in an airport bar at two in the morning. I bet he
had some stories to tell.

This novel is fiction but its strange stories and sad characters are just that tiny
bit larger than life that make them hit so close to home. And now, the wind is
blowing, there are no birds calling, the ocean is restless. Hold on tight.