With equal parts fantasy realism, historical-religious fiction, and adventure, the new book The Gyre by Stacy Carlson is a journey into distant realms of the Earth, and the far reaches of the imagination. "The line between everyday reality and something more magical is often blurred," says Carlson about the novel. "I sometimes call it fabulist fiction."
The story follows Arkady and his voyage into the tundra. The failed Russian orthodox monk is on a search, but is also running from a problematic past. Along the way, he's not alone. Pomor hunters are shipmates to Arkady, and religiously-based spirits accompany him as well. A variety of saints from Arkady's belief system go largely unseen, before eventually giving way to the presence of other entities. "As he gets deeper and deeper into the wilderness, there are beings from folklore... that I researched and became enchanted by," says Carlson.
Arkady's physical journey forward is coupled with a mental journal backward. The reader is treated to accounts of Arkady's past, which paint an unflattering picture. "He makes some really bad choices," says Carlson. "He's replaying all this stuff in his mind, and as he gets deeper and deeper, he sinks down into a deeper level of consciousness... and it becomes a multi-layered storytelling process."
The Gyre is available locally at Zenith Bookstore in Duluth, and anywhere books are sold.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
