About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
Jack Hodgins, one of Canada's favourite storytellers, has returned with a new tale in Cadillac Cathedral. In this story, situated on Vancouver Island, the literary home of many of his earlier books, 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.
Contributor Notes
Jack Hodgins grew up in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, and taught high school in Nanaimo before moving to teach in the Department of Writing at the University of Victoria. His numerous publications include Spit Delaney's Island, The Resurrection of Joseph Bourne, Broken Ground, and The Master of Happy Endings. His newest novel, Cadillac Cathedral (to appear in spring 2014) began as a commissioned song story for Chor Leoni, which is to be sung in concert in January 2014. He was so taken with the story that he expanded it into a full-length novel. Hodgins has taught writing workshops in Spain, Australia, and Germany, as well as in several provinces in Canada. His work has won several awards, including the Governor General's Award, the Ethel Wilson Prize, the Canada-Australia Prize, and the Victoria City Butler Prize. He has been awarded three honorary degrees, and in 2010 was inducted into the Order of Canada. He and his wife Dianne live in Victoria.
