Snow on the Lions, cherry blossoms below

Lotus land spring. Snow on the Lions, cherry blossoms on Broadway.

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

Poppy fields along the Ganges and the British East India Company, an opium factory with dreaming labourers treading the poppy mash as one would tread grapes to make wine, and ruthless traders seeking Chinese markets for their Indian-grown opium. Wealthy estates and a riverside botanical garden, the shabby slave ship Ibis, with her Lascar crew...the lush list of scenes portrayed by Amitav Ghosh in his novel of the opium trade in the nineteenth century goes on and on. Raja Neel Rattan is the financially embarrassed son of a profligate father who desperately needs cash to support his estates, his lifestyle and his many dependents. Elokeishi is his dancer consort. 

Zachary is an American on the lam from Cleveland, where his partially black heritage made him a target of white workers in the shipyards, while the police studiously looked the other way.

Deeti is the wife -- soon to be the widow -- of a sickly Sepoy war veteran of the British army. Wounded in the war, he acquired the opium habit while in the hospital. 

Kalua is a carter, a strong, large young man of low degree whose life consists of carrying villagers where they want to go in his oxcart, while keeping his distance so they can remain uncontaminated by the touch of his low caste person.

Benjamin Burnham is the unscrupulous owner of many financial interests that rake in money from opium and other sources. Believing that free trade is man's right and God's will, he is quite willing to go to war to preserve the opium trade, and indeed, the first "opium war" is in the offing.

And  Jodu is a Bengali boy who, having just lost his mother, is carrying out his deathbed promise of finding Paulette, the French-born foster sister with whom he grew up. All have their stories, and what stories they are. I'm glad the sequel was published before I finished this novel -- I can track these astonishingly compelling characters further without having to wait.

This novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker in 2008. I'm surprised it didn't win. The first sequel, River of Smoke, came out in 2011.

Cat and early crocus

Spring on the wet coast. The cat is frisky and the first crocuses are showing themselves. Tomorrow we might have winter again, but today we are enjoying sun with some cloud.

Southbank season is coming

Today at the Surrey Central Library, SFU Continuing Studies Creative Writing Director Wayde Compton and the Southbank writing mentors held an information meeting for a roomful of interested writers who live south of the Fraser and want to hone their writing skills in a writing community that meets close to home.

Southbank is affiliated with The Writer's Studio, a well-respected SFU program launched a few years ago by local poet, essayist and memoirist Betsy Warland. Students take courses from published writers, learn how to establish a regular writing practice and benefit from being in community with other writers.

When Compton took over the directorship of the Writer's Studio from the retiring flagship director last year, he added the fledgling Southbank to his portfolio. This program is similar to TWS but shorter. An equally intense program of learning, Southbank runs from the end of May to mid-August.

The program had a great initial year, and we're nearly ready to launch the 2013 season. Applications to Southbank are now open and ambitious writers are busy preparing their documents.

Among this year's instructors are Caroline Adderson, Michael Slade, John Mavin, Lois Peterson, Heidi Greco, Jane Silcott and J.J.Lee.

All four of last year's Southbank mentors are back: Claire de Boer, Renee Saklikar, Toni Levi and yours truly, Carol Tulpar. 

For more information, check the SFU Continuing Education website here.

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen

Book cover (Algonquin, 2007) from Goodreads

There is murder in this story. A cover-up protects the killer for many years. Only the killer may not be who you think.

The setting is 1930s America, and the country is full of hungry unemployed men. Circuses are going bust everywhere. Always ambitious to rival the famous Ringling Brothers, Uncle Al, the owner of Benzini Brothers Circus, stops at nothing to keep his show in business.

Besides being first on the scene to buy bargain priced stock and acquire performers from other shows that are going belly up, Uncle Al uses more questionable means to keep afloat. He justifies his actions by saying he is keeping his huge team employed at a time when there are almost no jobs.

Jacob, an orphaned veterinarian with all but complete qualifications from Cornell, falls in with the circus by chance. He stays on, first out of necessity and a sense of responsibility for the animals in his care, and later, out of love. 

When he falls for a beautiful young married performer, Jacob becomes part of a dangerous love triangle. Marlena has already burned many bridges, not the least of which was marrying a mercurial fellow-performer called August, whose very entry into a room brings a whiff of unpredictability and danger.

Uncle Al and August are enraged and frustrated by the apparent stupidity of Rosie, an elephant acquired from another circus. But when the language barrier is discovered, and the charming and clever elephant is addressed in Polish, she proves more than equal to creating a wonderful new show with Marlena, and plenty of money begins to pour in. Unfortunately, bad trouble isn't far behind.

Besides providing a thrilling story about a circus as seen from the inside, author Sara Gruen raises interesting themes that concern secrecy and murder. Jacob's memories are told through his memories as a very old man, and this frame story, too, has a surprising ending.

Water for Elephants is now also a movie. The female lead is played by Reese Witherspoon.

It's Valentines -- be happy

Photo: clasped hands 123RF

Anyone feeling left out on Valentine's Day?Hoped for chocolates or roses and didn't get them?

Why not lighten up, smile and think of this quote by Fred Allen:

"The last time I saw him, he was walking down Lover's Lane holding his own hand."

Reflection in reverse

Sometimes we see "through a glass darkly," and sometimes we actually see things in reverse.

This image of the roof line of a neighbour's house in a rain puddle reminded me of how our perceptions can be both convincing and wrong.

It's a nice metaphor for the opposing possbilities for seeing things.