“Vancouver is falling down–crumbling into sand. To save it, Astrid O’Brien boards a bus to a parallel dimension, there to confront the demons of the city, and to answer the question: Are we who we’re told we are, or who we decide to be?”
This is the back cover synopsis for Andrew Cownden’s debut novel Astrid Falls: A Legend of Vancouver. And it is not a book to skip, but one to read and discuss with friends.
Who are you? Why are you? For good measure, how and what are you? These are some questions that may occur for our leading character Astrid O’Brien, but they may also occur to the reader of this legend.
The same is true of the journey that Astrid undertakes. Cownden doesn’t just tell the story about Astrid; he paints a picture with you in it, alongside Astrid. Along the way, we encounter characters who are both familiar and strange. Somehow, Cownden has written characters who are not just caricatures but are reflections of the reader’s life.
Names and cultures may vary, but the arguments for and against things like tradition, individuality, free will, prophecy, philosophy, education, tolerance, family, and community – both open and closed – exist within this legend.
This book is to be shared with the world in the hopes that it may bring us closer together by realizing that together is better for all, not just together with some.
Perhaps that’s too simple for this Legend of Vancouver. I picked this book up for no reason other than I knew of Cownden as an actor and writer thanks to Loading Ready Run and Desert Bus for Hope. That’s it. I knew of the author. Because of that, I was rewarded with one of the most original, thoughtful, and hopeful pieces of modern fiction I’ve read in the last 10 years. And I’m a reader, as this blog can attest.
Perhaps it’s that last piece – hope – that makes this the book a must-read for anyone and everyone of all ages. That hopefulness is something I don’t often encounter in media, even if this title leaves one with more questions than answers.
Whether you’re looking for a bit of hope or just your next good read, I cannot recommend this book more.
Read the Secret File of technical information and quotes from Astrid Falls: A Legend of Vancouver.