sewn paper
e-mail the Author
Novella; FIC 019000
September 2004
136 pages
ISBN 0-88984-247-7
$14.95
Duet
David Helwig
`Norma was grooming her wolf when the tenant arrived. She had
bought a cheap hairbrush from the grocery store and she was
brushing the hair of her new stuffed wolf, getting a lot of dust
and dirt out of him. The creature was starting to look quite
handsome, glass eyes wiped with spit and kleenex and now very
bright. She looked toward her tenant, the putative murderer, who
was coming toward her.' ...
Duet, a vivid and comic account of a stubbornly unromantic
romance, is the story
of Carman, a retired Toronto policeman, who takes to wandering
in the wake of his wife's death. On a whim, he rents a cottage north
of Kingston from Norma, the cantankerous proprietor of a rural
junk-shop. Sex and death haunt the undergrowth
as Carman and Norma grumble and feud, and against
the grain of their bad temper begin to create a precarious
friendship. Duet is a beautiful
novella, but one without prettiness; David Helwig demonstrates
a subtle sense of humanity through his creation of two of the
prickliest customers in Canadian fiction.
`Two old curmudgeons -- Carman, a recently widowed, retired police detective with a heart condition,
and Norma, a divorced, eccentric, overweight junk collector with painful arthritis -- are the unlikely duea
of the title of this novella. Helwig's memorable characters are thrown together by chance when Carman,
driving aimlessly around Ontario, happens upon a small town with a cottage to rent. On the surface,
the argumentative pair seem to have nothing in common, but the reader soon realizes
that they share unsatisfying relationships with their children, a dismay at having lost their spouses
and at experiencing the physical limitations of aging, and a general anger at the world
that disguises their basic need for human connection.
The book is essentially a series of interior monologues by both characters, ruminations
on the meaning of existence and nonexistence and the fleeting nature of relationships, interspersed
with evocative descriptions of nature and small-town Ontario. There's a certain black humour
throughout as the duet of bickering grudgingly evolves into an almost loving relationship
by the end of the story.' `The people Helwig creates in Duet remind us that we've all met someone
like them, in a place like this; maybe we even wondered what made them
who they are, or appear to be. And although it's a great temptation to
want the sparks to keep flying between Norma and Carman, we're glad of
the unlikely harmonies found along the way. If there is a downside to
this book, it's in the fact that we come to the end and can't help but
wish we could remain with these folks a little longer.' `There's a dry humour in this story and a tangy pleasure in
the toe-stubbing tango these two dance. But there is far more
to Duet than its gentle humour. Helwig is a master at
portraying unstated but deeply felt emotions. He knows the power of
silence and of small quiet moments. ... In real life, Carman and Norma
are both people you'd probably go out of your way to avoid. But here,
with David Helwig to tell their story, you'll grow to like them
and appreciate their rough edges. His telling is moving and
affectionate, flawless in realism and technique.' `The structure of the book feels familiar -- two damaged old
cranks slowly gain mutual respect and forge a shaky bond -- but
Helwig makes it work by allowing the relationship to play out at a
deliberately slow pace, drawing out the characters on their own
terms and rarely forcing conflict upon them. Many of the story's
most dramatic moments occur off the page, undercutting the
potential melodrama.' `For the past 25 years he has given us a fictional chronicle
of ourselves set against our times, without moralizing or
grandstanding, but with compassion and honesty.' `Helwig proves himself [...] a storyteller of the first rank and a stylist of
simple elegance.' `Helwig superbly explores complex philosophical ideas.
His style is engaging and informing, his sense of dialogue
extraordinary.' `Helwig's carefully controlled prose and natural dialogue
glow ... '
-- Susan Patrick, Canadian Book Review Annual
-- Ingrid Ruthig, Books in Canada
-- Barbara Mulcahy, Edmonton Journal
-- Nathan Whitlock, Quill & Quire
-- the Ottawa Citizen
-- The Montreal Gazette
-- The Winnipeg Free Press
-- The Edmonton Journal
Photo by Judy Gaudet
David Helwig lives on Prince Edward Island in the village of Eldon. He indulges his passion for vocal music by singing with choirs in Montreal, Kingston, Montreal and Charlottetown. He has appeared as bass soloist in Handel's `Messiah', Bach's `St Matthew's Passion' and Mozart's `Requiem'.
