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Cadillac Cathedral
Novel (2014)
Jack Hodgins, one of Canada's favourite storytellers, has returned
with a new tale in Cadillac Cathedral. Situated on Vancouver Island,
the literary home of many of his earlier stories, Hodgins lovingly
recreates the rural community of Portuguese Creek. It is here we
meet Arvo, a Finn, who has worked in logging camps all his life
and now spends his retirement rescuing abandoned cars to restore
in his garage, where his loyal group of friends congregate to keep
him company. When the group hears that an old friend has died,
they decide to drive south to the big city to pick up the body. A
road trip ensues — but not just any road trip, for it takes place in
a Cadillac Cathedral, a remarkable hearse built in the 1930s,
which Arvo has refurbished. Along the way, the friends encounter
adventures that create detours into country life. We learn about
the unusual marriages that keep couples apart and together. There
is a winsome widow with her eye on Arvo, and another mysterious
widow in the big city for whom Arvo appears to retain strong feelings.
Here is Hodgins at his humorous best, capturing a timeless
world that is yet very much of our time.
Interviews / Reviews
Cadillac Cathedral — In Performance
Here's a recipe for a rollicking good show. Take renowned Canadian author Jack Hodgins, put him on stage reading a story he's written especially for this occasion, back him up with the men of Chor Leoni, together with fiddler Cam Wilson and his band, mix well with some favourites from the choir's repertoire, plus new tunes written by Cam and, voila, Cadillac Cathedral, a deliciously funny and moving tale about an old hearse rescued from oblivion and an old man given new life along the backroads of Vancouver Island. The show was presented in Victoria, Nanaimo, and Vancouver.
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