Spirit of a Hundred Thousand Dead Animals

Skye Rayburn, a somewhat eccentric but well-respected veterinarian, always had a troubled relationship with her daughter Moira. When Moira is killed in a car accident, Skye has no choice but to take in her two-year-old grandson Duncan. Maybe this time she will "get it right." Over the years, Skye creates a diary: Life Lessons for Duncan. This diary, a surreal blend of fact and fiction, catalogues human and animal characteristics?their similarities and differences, as well as their complex interdependencies, which she hopes will help Duncan understand his now-homeless father, his mother's death and her own heartbreaking secrets. As her story unfolds we learn how her life choices have, at times, contradicted her alleged love of c hildren and animals. In the summer of 2011, Skye, now 91, finds herself alone when Duncan is invited to show his art at the Edinburgh Festival. Skye must make peace with what she's done and Duncan must to come to terms with who he is.

Award-winning author Jim Nason has published five poetry collections as well as a short story collection. Spirit of a Hundred Thousand Dead Animals is his third novel. His stories, essays and poems have been published in journals and anthologies across Canada and the US, including Best Canadian Poetry in English, 2008, 2010 and 2014 and he has been a finalist for the CBC Literary Award in both fiction and poetry categories. Jim holds degrees from McGill, Ryerson and York Universities and is the owner/publisher of Tightrope Books, Toronto. He is the founder and organizer of Canada?s annual human rights poetry event, Meet Me in the Middle: Writers on Rights. Jim is a frequent participant on fiction and poetry panels, and Spirit of a Hundred Thousand Dead Animals was inspired at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival, where he was on a panel about sexuality in Canadian poetry.