CLJ Reviews Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor
What We Read
Have you ever gone on a picnic? Cool! Me too. Have you ever gone on a picnic with homeless people and your eccentric Anthropology Professor father and caught a duck with an old net in Lost Lagoon and then feasted on it with offering that a bevvy of homeless people who live in the park brought as homage to you, the urban-rubber-boot-food Chef of Stanley Park? Perhaps not. Stanley Park chronicles the rise, fall, rise, fall, rise, and, well, I won’t spoil it, of Vancouver Chef, Jeremy Papier. With a colourful cast of characters, this novel takes its reader on a journey through the buttery source of French cooking through post-modern, borderless (and soulless) kitchens of Vancouver’s cultural elite. And only Jeremy – leading a team of culinary misfits – knows exactly what’s in store for his guests, partners and friends as the plot of Stanley Park unfurls in naturally delicious ways.
What We Did (and How We Did It)
The CLJ took a walk through – you guessed it – Stanley Park. Each club member led a section of the tour and they were asked to do so while weaving a key theme of the book into their night-time-guiding. For example, the noble Godfrey von Bismarck took us around the perimeter of Lost Lagoon while connecting the seemingly unconnectable theme of “knives” to the topography, smells, feelings, and people of Stanley Park. We concluded our evening with a series of proposals – they ranged from restaurant/menu ideas to ridiculous business plans to interpretive dances – that reflected the people, ideas and places in the book.
What We Thought
A deep, local read. Fun fact: no fewer than three of us had tried previously to read the book but didn’t get passed the first 50 pages. Push through, friends, because it’s totally worth it. Whether you’re a foodie, an anarchist, a businessperson, an activist, an academic, or a romantic you will enjoy this book. Heck, as a Career Practitioner I even liked the part when Benny, the Designer, delivers her value proposition to Dante, the businessman and restauranteur, in a fantastic elevator pitch. Best of all, the ending – the very last line – is perhaps the best I’ve ever come across in a work of fiction. Getting outside truly helped us feel what Jeremy felt as he staggered, strolled, stumbled, and stomped his way through the park en route to finding himself and the most important ingredients of life, the universe and everything. And you won’t know what they are until you read Stanley Park.
As told by John Horn…