The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon

Orillia's curling rink in the 1950s was more closed, aloof and elite than the golf club, truly a gathering place of the anonymous mysterious elite of town; in contrast, Mitchell's fellow curlers in Shelby, Alberta, are a most delightful democratic bunch. An avid curler himself, Mitchell brings curling to life with wit and humour in his 'Great White North' version of the old Faust legend. Americans adapted Faust into the Broadway musical 'Damn Yankees' with the matchless Gwen Verdon and superb Ray Walston; Mitchell adapted Faust into a short story, then a radio play which grew into a popular stage play and finally this book. It's as charming as 'Shoeless Joe' by fellow Canadian W. P. Kinsella, which Hollywood turned into the enormously popular 'Field of Dreams.' Canadians, it seems, are masters of printed words; Americans favour moving images held by chemicals on celluloid or electrical pulses trapped in chips. Someday, if the government sponsored Canadian Film Industry ever decides to film Canadian fantasies, dreams, hopes and humour, this should be one of the firsts. Until then, the genius of Canadian creativity is limited to ink on ground-up trees rather than digital bytes in R-O-M chips. (For the benefit of Trawna folks, R-O-M is "Read Only Memory," not "Royal Ontario Museum.") Like much Canadian humour, it's an easy evening read without a moral burden. Americans love stories with a moral; they can't appreciate beauty for its own sake -- look at the reaction to Tiger Woods, who should be valued for his matchless golf skills instead of being judged on his morals. Canadians have more of a tendency to appreciate life for what it is, rather than what it might be with proper moral guidance. It's what makes this book a slice of pure Canadiana; good people having clever fun without hurting others or frightening the all-important American tourists. Canadians find subtle humour in the midst of all seriousness; Americans want their humour to have a serious moral. Mitchell is a master Canadian storyteller. He deserves to be read for that reason alone, and this book is a fine introduction to his skills. Read it and you'll feel morally uplifted. Oooops! Is that an Americanism slipping in? Perhaps it's what's needed to recommend this book to Americans who are looking for at least one delightful story.