Shimmering with ferocious tension, Night Watch explores the nature of identity and the meaning of home, through a thematically linked collection of stories that take place in the Pacific - on its scattered islands and the swathes of sea that separate them. Kevin Armstrong's perspective is fluid, alternating from that of the islands' indigenous peoples, to travellers passing through, to the sailor who is at home neither at sea nor on land. Driving every story is the twinned search for one home and escape from another.
The characters of Night Watch skirt the uneasy, even treacherous boundaries between what is known and what is longed for, and what is and what might be. In "The Hunga Pass we learn about a Tongan fakaleiti, a boy raised as a girl and then transplanted for a time to the American Midwest. In "The Cane Field we encounter the myriad ways a mother's love for her daughter can be shredded by cultural and political forces in Fiji. And, in "Inside Passage we learn about a seafaring culture, which is as foreign, and more treacherous, than anything encountered on land.
These are haunting tales that dislocate and unsettle, even (and perhaps especially) in their moments of revelation. They are the work of a prodigiously talented young writer.
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Kevin Armstrong began writing while an undergraduate at Queen's University. He has received scholarships to the Sage Hill Writing Experience and the Banff Centre for the Arts Fall Studio, and has been awarded grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Canada Council. He lives in Vancouver.
Beach bums, sailors, emigres and island natives are the protagonists of this dark, moody debut collection by a young Canadian. In eight short stories, Armstrong reprises a favorite genre of yesterday-tales of the South Pacific: of Fiji, Australia, Tahiti, Bora Bora. These are faraway places, the stuff of colorful brochures and posters, but the stories owe nothing to James Michener. Sharply told, without glamour or sighing soundtracks, they tell of white men at workaday boating tasks between islands, drinking and smoking pot, as in the title story, or of native tribes, condemned to menial tasks and small hopes. In "The Cane Field," an Australian con man travels the islands, fooling penniless Indian settlers with a newspaper advertisement for an "Indian Wife." "The First Motion of Love" takes the form of a letter, in which an itinerant and possibly dangerous Canadian, a would-be writer, recounts his adventures to a well-known New Zealand author. Armstrong takes a different tack in "The Legend of Kuop," a simple, harsh tale modeled after the legends of Polynesia. In perhaps the most beautiful story, "Drowning in Air," a young islander, Tuelen, is inspired by the beauty of underwater life to carve exquisite wooden sculptures, which his father sees only as tourist merchandise. Armstrong's taste for the enigmatic sometimes leads to obscurity, but his measured perspective and cool eye cast the South Seas in a new light.
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Softcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. We're happy to combine shipping to save you some money. We're also always buying collectible book collections. Contact us for details. We're happy to provide pictures of any and all books for you, please just ask! SIGNED Canadian SOFT COVERED first edition, first printing. Signed on the title page by author. Contains numberline 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Covers are in Near Fine condition. Small wear spot to top spine area and bottom spine area. Covers are clean and bright. Edges are sharp. The book itself is in Near Fine condition. The binding is straight and tight. NO remainder mark. Signed. Seller Inventory # sku520005108
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Soft Cover/French Flaps. Condition: Fine. First Edition. Fine 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. pp.177. While travelling through the kingdom of Tonga in 1997 the author was hired aboard a 80 ft. sailing yacht. 15 months, nine countries and 8, 000 sailed miles later this fiction book is the product of that journey. clean tight copy. Seller Inventory # 002394
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Trade Paperback. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First edition in trade paperback with French flaps. Signed and dated by Mr. Armstrong in year of publication. Armstrong is a former winner of the Journey Prize. Fine. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 259586
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Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dj. 8vo pp. 177, signed by the author on the title page. Signed by Author. book. Seller Inventory # 234610
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French Flaps. Condition: Near Fine. No Jacket. First Edition. SIGNED and dated, without inscription, by the author to the title page. First edition with number line to one. Like new, appears unread. Interior is clean and unmarked. French flaps (softcover) are very lightly bumped to extremities with minor shelfwear to show. Winner of the 2001 Journey Prize. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 003547
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Illustrated Wraps. Condition: Near Fine +. Uncorrected Proofs. Advanced Reading Copy. First book by author, a short story collection based on his 8,000 mile, South Pacific voyage as first mate aboard an 80-foot sailing yacht. 206pp. 'The Cane Field' won the Booming Ground/Chapters Scholarship and the Best Fiction Award at the Western Magazine Awards. Another story 'The First Motion of Love' has been selected for inclusion in 'Best Canadian Stories' by Oberon Press. unread copy. Seller Inventory # 001128
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Original Wraps. Condition: Very Fine. First Edition. | Very fine -- illus. self-wraps. Seller Inventory # 006437
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Trade Paperback. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. The book is inscribed and signed by the author on the full title page. The book is near fine with very slight edge wear. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item. Inscribed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 011080
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