When Emma Brodie, local prophet and mother of three, steals a boat and exiles herself to the middle of the bay for seven days and seven nights, she sets about a chain of strange and wonderful events in the sleepy village of Garfax--a village no longer listed on any official government document. Radios begin to speak secrets and unintended confessions, a rainstorm occurs that lasts for months, a young boy dies mysteriously in the surrounding woods after following the dictates of his heart, and Caleb Anson, the village's prodigal son, returns after a long absence with a grand design to bring Garfax into 'the future'.
This magic realist tale, where dead relatives play dominoes in the houses of their loved ones, is told by Emma's youngest son, Oswald, a shy, observant boy living in the shadow of his charismatic family. Wonderfull tells the story of Garfax--which has become the stuff of legends to outsiders--and reveals how this village's unlikely past catches up to its inevitable future.
Industry Reviews
"William Neil Scott's Wonderfull is an engaging journey into a world composed of equal parts rocky Atlantic shoreline and fog-shrouded magic. That irresistible blend draws the enchanted reader into a world where dead relatives play dominoes in the kitchen and radios transmit tantalizing scraps of private conversations. ... This beautifully written novel is Scott's first, and it is a promising -- no, shining -- debut for the Calgarian. Magic realism is a tricky thing: the author must enchant us so thoroughly that we eagerly enter a dream world where the oddest things seem happen in perfectly unremarkable ways. For the most part, Scott performs this balancing act expertly, in prose reminiscent of Salman Rushdie or Louis de Bernieres in its depiction of redemptive relationships offset by the dark whispers of human selfishness. His characters are richly drawn, possessing equal parts magic and realism, making them not just ethereal, but goofily endearing. ...a remarkable, lyrical tale..." -- Leslie Beaton Hedley, Calgary Herald, Sunday, December 2, 2007. "On this really bleak November day, I urge you to get yourself a copy of this book. ... Its the best book Ive read in 2007 and right up there with my favourite books ever." -- Amanda Earl, http://amandaearl.blogspot.com/2007/11/wonderfull-by-william-neil-scott.html. Shortlisted for the 2008 Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. The jury says: "Scott follows the tradition of Canadian magic realism in a first novel brimming with quirky writing that would seem forced in less capable hands. The novel has huge scope - bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside and covering the entire lifecycle of a magical town - without ever sacrificing intimacy or detail." To view full shortlist: http://www.sunburstaward.org/2008_Shortlists.htm.