Between Families and the Sky
& Waiting for Li Ming
"The rooftop was where
my father was the most
comfortable, where he could
be tall and survey life among
the quiet chimneys, the broken
shingles, the weathered skin
of protection between families
and the sky."
"The dean’s chopsticks
flick into the big
centre plate like deft
claws and pull out a
gigantic piece which he
plops onto my plate
before I can defend
myself. He grins,
showing all his teeth,
stained and crooked,
except for the silver one
in front. ‘What did he
say?’ I ask Li Ming.
‘He says you are young
and can eat a great deal more!’
What makes this book such good reading? For
one thing, Cumyn has a lot of interesting things
to say about contemporary China...
He also has a very keen eye and ear for the
meetings--and misses--of the two cultures.
When he writes about China, Cumyn has
the advantage of a somewhat unusual
subject. When he writes about love, and thus
lacks the benefit of novelty, he still manages
to do a fine job: Rudy's transports of joy,
his apologies of misunderstanding, and
finally his obsession with his lovely translator,
Li Ming, are all very convincing. Cumyn handles
dialogue with a sure hand, and the disagreements
between Rudy and Li Ming--and, back in Canada,
between Rudy and his friend Lou--not only ring
true, they say more about the war between the
sexes than pages of reflection or theory."
Books in Canada
"In this two-part coming of age narrative,
Cumyn tells interconnected stories about fragmented,
dysfunctional families and the lonely eccentrics
they spawn. This is an intelligent and moving romance
about two people who had just about given up on finding
love when, miraculously, they find each other. Cumyn's
writing is so beautiful and convincing that it seems
effortless, and his characters are so vividly realized
that they stay with you long after you close the book."
The New Brunswick Telegraph Journal