In a small town in Belgium near the French border on the morning of Saint Woelfred’s festival, dead fish lie on the ground, scattered everywhere, as if blown in by the wind. The quarries that were once active now stand empty and will soon be used as toxic waste dumps.Are the fish a sign from the saint? Or simply a cruel trick played by Contexture, the dance group who once stripped naked at the Vatican?Blending a realistic portrayal of communal life with elements of fantasy and surrealism, including the lost poems of Arthur Rimbaud, this story narrates how six lives from this provincial town are changed forever. Like the most finely cadenced, beautifully fanciful works of surrealism, this novel beckons with its subtle nuances before it leaps into a dazzling mastery that will ensnare even the casual reader. —Booklist(October 15, 2011)
Christien Gholsonis the author of the critically acclaimed poetry bookOn the Side of the Crow. His work has appeared in various magazines, includingAlaska Quarterly ReviewandHanging Loose.
Poetic prose by debut author Christien Gholson