Beverly Schloendorf’s first book, Citiscape, is a fascinating entry into speculative fiction in 18 somewhat interconnected stories. Beverly presented a reading of her work at the Reid Thompson Library on Tuesday evening.
A group of friends, family and fans of fantasy gathered as she read the introductory tale, Night in the Life..., which presented a cryptic first-person narrator. The central figure struggles with their own mission, along with the turmoil and anguish of their surroundings in a steel and glass medical centre.
Throughout the reading, Schloendorf showed a strong emotional attachment to her work and a firm command of language. The world of her fictional hospital swirls around a vibrant and grounded description, only hinting at the true nature of the character who is both deeply involved in the chaos and strangely disconnected.
Her style has evolved through years of writing. Schloendorf recalls being a writer from an early age.
“I’ve been writing basically since I was old enough to print,” she stated. “Like all five-year-olds, it was princes and princesses, unicorns, roses and happy things. I’d take pieces of paper and their them into equal sizes and start printing. Then I’d give them to my family to read.”
Beverly continued writing into her teenage years but then tapered off with adult responsibilities. She admits that an idea would occasionally present itself, and she would jot it down or commit herself to fleshing the idea out in full.
Her persistence led to Citiscape which has stories presenting slice of lift narratives with an element of spirituality and magic realism – not high minded or didactic, but a down-to-earth exploration of the human experience of death and desire. The emotional tone ranges from compassion to rage.
The publication of her first book has been a long time coming, but Schloendorf felt compelled to bring it into the world at this point in her writing career.
“It seemed like a big, brave thing to do at first, and I didn’t think anybody would be interested in it, other than family who have no choice,” she laughed.
She is looking at retirement from the work a day world, and she felt like the time was right to publish Cityscape and bring it to an audience of readers with the hope that it will generate some retirement income.
With stories created through interconnected characters and plotlines designed to provoke emotional responses, questions about mortality, and speculations on nature of the physical and spiritual world, Citiscape and Bev Schloendorf’s future works will no doubt find the audience.
Citiscape is available through Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, and other online and brick and mortar retailers.