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Review

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Grandfather Stories – A Short Story Collection

by George Polley

Ebook : 59 pages

Publisher: Abbott ePublishing

http://www.abbottepub.com/fiction.html

 Language: English

 

 

On the publisher's website, the blurb for this short story collection reads as follows:

This is a delightful collection of short stories told by a fictional grandfather about his adventures in Japan with young wolves, his adventures with a big neighborhood raven that he calls "Sir Raven," and a deer that he and his brother Yojiro saves from certain death.

 

At a glance, this collection of fictional stories reminds one of Aesop’s Fables: each story has some moral lessons imparted to the reader, involves a member of the animal kingdom and is written in language that is simple and, yet, engaging. For instance, in Grandfather and the Wolves, the author writes:

As he sat along the sidelines watching their fame, he thought to himself how much of a person’s experiences depend on how his perceptions influence the way he responds to situations. It was one of the most valuable lessons he had learned in his long life.

 

The author was born and brought up in the United States of America. In 2008, he re-located to Sapporo, Japan so that his wife, ‘could fulfil her dream of returning to the land of her birth.’ He has his own website: http://www.geogepolleyauthor.com/.

 

There are three sets of stories in this collection – Grandfather and the Wolves, Grandfather and the Raven: A story cycle and Grandfather and the Deer. Each set is a whole story on its own with its own chapters. Still, Grandfather, being the main character, is the strand that runs through all the entire collection.

 

In Grandfather and the Raven, the elements of characterisation and dialogue are what intrigue most of all. The raven is given a voice and usually says nothing more than, “Kaaa.” However, the reader is taught to interpret what these mean from the thoughts and ideas Grandfather gives to each ‘Kaaa.’ An example is as follows:

“Kaaaa,” said the raven from very close by. “Kaaaaa.”

“Are you agreeing, or disagreeing?” grandfather asked, forgetting all about his wife’s caution about ravens in general, and this one in particular. Since the raven said nothing, grandfather decided that the raven agreed, and didn’t need to say more.

 

As the story progresses, a discerning reader might find himself understanding what Sir Raven (the name given to this bird) without the need for Grandfather’s explanations.

 

The following, from Grandfather and Midori, is a further example of how the author created a language for Sir Raven.

“Nevermore,” said the raven.

Grandfather gave his friend a surprised look. “Where did you learn that?” he asked.

“It’s an old raven saying,” Sir Raven replied, lifting himself into the air. “I will go and see what that dog is doing ...”

 

Sir Raven proves to be an able guard to protect Grandfather from a vicious dog, a very good coach and motivator for a boy who wants to run like Michael Johnson and, a very polite and cultured dinner guest.

 

Perhaps, a criticism which can be levelled at Grandfather and the Raven arises from the fact that certain phrases are repeated. For instance, the following phrase from Chapter One is repeated in Chapter Two: … the raven replied, sounding very much like a rusty door hinge. This can easily be rectified should a newer edition of these stories be published.

 

Grandfather and the Deer is a lovely story of how a dog, a giant white Pyrenean Mountain Dog called Petunia, takes an injured deer under her wing and watches over the deer as she recovers from its injury. The other dogs in the care of Grandfather, Ichi, Ni and San – three Irish wolfhounds – provide the elements of humour and adventure in this story. While Petunia plays nurse-maid to the deer, Ichi, Ni and San are the guards who see to it the deer is not attacked by wolves during her four months of recuperation.

 

In all three stories, the author’s attention to little details like, ‘… one warm summer afternoon as they worked together in their daikon field…’ and ‘And the mochi Sir Raven had brought?’ all add colour to these tales and make you feel closer than ever to Japan.

 

When you finish reading these tales, you will, without any effort on your part, begin to have more of an affinity with the animals around you. You might even find yourself putting words into each bark of your pet dog or the chirping of birds as the day comes to a close. This charm is the lasting impression this book has on a reader.

 

If it had been the intention of George Polley to illustrate the beauty of nature with the use of his words and lessons we can learn from the animal kingdom about how to live in harmony, he has certainly achieved it with this short story collection. I look forward to reading more of these stories and hope that, someday, I will be able to buy hard copies to give as worthy gifts to friends.

 

Reviewed by Aneeta Sundararaj

3 May 2009

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Aneeta Sundararaj can be contacted at editor@howtotellagreatstory.com.

 

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