A Calgary author’s novel about loss, estrangement and acceptance starts out as a dark saga, but turns lighthearted despite the dark subject mater.
In her newest release Moments of Joy, writer Cecelia Frey tackles the tough, but familiar topic of cancer.
The book tells the fictional story of Manfred Weiszl, who lies dying of cancer while the drama in the lives of those around him unfolds as each character deals with his or her own issues ranging from breakup to gender identity.
“It sounds kind of grim, but as a matter of fact there’s a lot of humour in the novel,” Frey told the Western Wheel last week. “In the end it is an optimistic book, which for me came naturally out of the writing. That’s just the way the story evolved. I think it’s uplifting in the end.”
Seven months after the book was officially released, Frey is bringing it to Okotoks with a reading and book signing at the Okotoks Public Library Dec. 12 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
“I’m trying to expand my circle a little bit,” she said. “I wanted to make myself known in some of the peripheral communities. One of the sad things about Canadian literature is we don’t know our own writers. We have thousands and thousands of writers.”
Frey has had numerous poems, short stories and novels published over the years and said the idea for Moments of Joy came to her about 10 years ago.
Like many of her larger works, Frey wrote most of it, put it away and revisited it several years later.
“That really works because you are always working on your material subconsciously,” she said. “Whenever I take it out of the box and give it another look I seem to develop it further.”
Why she came up with the idea in the first place is beyond Frey.
“I don’t think most writers know how their book started,” she said. “I’m in my 80th year. Maybe in my time of life that was something I wanted to explore.”
While putting the story together Frey experienced her own loss when a good friend died of cancer.
“I had this experience with my friend and I suppose I applied empathy and understanding and tolerance – all of those things that went into developing this character,” she said. “I think in a way I wanted to explore that whole area of what that must be like and then of course I had to give it a plot. Of course family always comes into it and so I had to give him problems with his family and then as I’m writing one thing leads to another.”
As Frey worked on Moments of Joy following her friend’s death, she found it more an act of sharing and understanding than bringing her own emotions to the forefront.
“Writing is a funny thing because you have to feel, but then you have to transpose that into the structure,” she said. “As a writer the technical part comes into play so you’re thinking about the structure and you’re thinking about how to convey certain things in the novel. I don’t start out knowing what every step of my novel is going to be because it just develops as I’m writing. You are sort of preoccupied with those things.”
What has also helped Frey is her experience as a social worker.
“You would have to talk to your client and whatever problems they were having you have to get into that with them, but as a social worker you can’t let yourself get emotionally involved,” she said. “Maybe that’s a good simile for being a writer. It’s kind of the same process of dealing with your characters and dealing with your clients.”
Frey’s first book was published in the 1970s. In the meantime, she received her Masters degree in English and has been a freelance writer, editor and teacher of creative writing.
Moments of Joy can be purchased in Calgary at Shelf Life Books and Owls Nest Books, as well as online at amazon.ca
