The Dream of Saint Ursula: A Mystery in the Virgin Islands (2014) by Kenneth Butcher takes its title from the painting by Vittore Carpaccio completed in 1495.
Much like Carpaccio in the series of nine paintings creating “Stories from the Life of St Ursula,” Butcher is also able to extract details and symbols from a scene by unifying multiple perceptions from numerous characters throughout a fluent narrative that delights and entertains steadily throughout the 261-page book.
Kenneth Butcher, American Novelist
The story and its style found in The Dream of Saint Ursula quickly become reflective of Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. and Pynchon’s ability to take dense, complex materials (albeit often loosely and incredibly interconnected) and include in his books history, music, and science.
The Dream of Saint Ursula also has a penultimate scene at an auction, much like Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 (1965)—which has further allusions to Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita (1955).
In the prologue, Butcher dangles the reader on the edge of serious-absurdity while keeping true to the plot centered on a painter called Richard Richard (surname pronounced “Re-shard” for good measure):
“In the kitchen he found that his roommate’s pet marmoset had left a pile of feces on the kitchen counter next to a packet of travel brochures for the Virgin Islands…
“Moreover, the pile was shaped roughly like a ziggurat. How was that even possible? He reflected on the demonic face of the creature with a mixture of interest and loathing. Could there be something more sinister at work behind those prurient eyes than mere animal instinct…
“He glanced quickly around the room to make sure that the marmoset was not concealing himself, ready to pounce and bite as he so often did…
“It was hard to say where the usual monkey business stopped and its drug-induced psychosis began” (p 7).
The marmoset, one of several memorable characters in the book, makes many more humorous appearances, and one of the best is in Chapter 8 called “Reduction of Image” as Butcher continues his clever ability to weave ad absurdum the believable, the everyday, and almost plausible as Charles Colebrook attends an art exhibit showcasing work by Richard “Re-shard” in the Virgin Islands:
“The next morning Charles Colebrook put a hand on Sophie’s waist to guide her out of the sunshine and into a low building next to the main exhibition hall. He was thinking how lovely she looked in the light cotton dress and sandals. She had a glow about her. His brother, Xavier, walked just in front of them.
“As they went down the hall the decibel level increased. It was that mixture of electronic music and human voices that he associated with cocktail parties, play intermissions and the opening of art exhibits…
“The title of the exhibit, according to the pamphlet handed out by a girl with purple hair, was Up Inside My World. The photo on the front of the pamphlet was an extreme close up of the face of a ventriloquist’s dummy. Charles always found ventriloquist dummies revolting because of their exaggerated features and especially because of the two lines descending from the corners of the mouth which allowed for the anticipation of the puppet’s jaw.
“Upon entering the hall the first thing confronting the visitor was the same dummy sitting on a very high chair. The dummy’s grotesquely thin legs were crossed, his right hand raised with the middle finger held up in the familiar salute of insolence…
“A Marmoset Taking Sweets on a Painted Commode” – attributed to Louis Tessier
“The painting that had impressed them, entitled Say Hello to My Little Friend, was an acrylic rendering of a marmoset doing cocaine. In the painting the small primate hunched on a coffee table in front of a pile of white powder, some of which it had been divided into lines. The animal clasped a razor blade in its little hand. Its head was tilted back, its snout was dusted with powder, and its gaping mouth exposed two needle-like lower incisors” (pgs 65-67).
With clarity and precision, Butcher also delights the reader when he captures the Virgin Islands, the primary setting for the mystery:
“Charlotte Amalie, the biggest city on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is centered on St. Thomas Harbor…
“It was on the top floor of one of these buildings well above the commercial district that Lieutenant Esteban sat on the terrace of the apartment that he called home, having some breakfast and coffee in the cool of the morning…
“This was Esteban’s idea of luxury; taking a little time with his breakfast early in the morning. The air was still cool. There was even a little breeze coming in over the harbor which brought cooking and baking smells up from the restaurants and bakeries below him. His little table was in the shade…
“From his balcony Esteban could see the ferry boats pull in and out of their landing area and he knew their movements well enough to tell who was at the helm of these venerable old sea horses. It might be some subtle movement in bringing the boat around in a turn or the angle and speed with which he approached the dock. It was a little hard to define, but there it was, like a person’s handwriting or the sound of his voice, a little bit different and distinctive for each pilot” (pgs 53-55).
In addition to the fun, summery scenes in the Virgin Islands, one of Butcher’s greatest strengths is his ability to weave among the numerous characters easily and without confusion, making these larger-than-life characters memorable in the process. A major player in the mystery, “The Termite” and his scenes are often redolent of Joseph Heller in his novel Catch–22 (1961); both writers merge and mix the intelligent with profane absurdity:
“Herman Kessel, the man Mia called The Termite, loved those little orange cheese crackers. It was not unusual for him to consume a dozen of the small cellophane packages of them in a day. Often several packages were eaten in quick succession like a man chain smoking cigarettes, lighting the next one from the last as it were.
“In his pocket he carried a small silver handled pocketknife with which he would slice open the packets with a practiced movement that many found vaguely prurient. The saltiness and the dry texture of the crackers required that he drink some beverage between bites. Root beer was his favorite and he preferred to drink it from aluminum cans. However, there was a problem with this pairing. The ratio of crackers in a packet to root beer in a can was slightly off” (p 118).
One side amusement to Butcher and The Dream of Saint Ursula is to see how characters relate to other characters—like how Herman “The Termite” Kessel could be representative of the marmoset, both having that “prurient” look (“prurient” meaning: “having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters, especially the sexual activity of others”) and what this means to the story’s plot as a whole.
As the mystery unfolds a bigger plot revealing a threat to national security and sovereignty, the fun begins in examining the tidbits of facts and clues Butcher leaves for the reader to follow to the end.
In The Dream of Saint Ursula, the symbols and themes are abundant, and overly fun to find in this witty summer read. Butcher does a masterful job resolving the mystery that propels the story forward into a climatic conclusion that was out there in the open for all to see. Overall: a fun, engaging read.
He has a B.A. in English, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership (honors), an M.A. in Literature (honors), and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Fiction. He was born in Texas in 1979.
“There is no better way for readers interested in Germany’s history and the dilemma and cultures of the two Berlins to absorb this information than in a novel such as this, which captures the microcosm of two individuals’ love, relationship, and options and expands them against the blossoming dilemmas of a nation divided.”
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“A Time to Forget in East Berlin is a dream-like interlude of love and passion in the paranoid and violent life of a Cold War spy. The meticulous research is evident on every page, and Fewston’s elegant prose, reminiscent of novels from a bygone era, enhances the sensation that this is a book firmly rooted in another time.”
“Fewston avoids familiar plot elements of espionage fiction, and he is excellent when it comes to emotional precision and form while crafting his varied cast of characters.”
“There’s a lot to absorb in this book of hefty psychological and philosophical observations and insights, but the reader who stays committed will be greatly rewarded.”
“Readers of TheCatcher in the Rye and similar stories will relish the astute, critical inspection of life that makes Little Hometown, America a compelling snapshot of contemporary American life and culture.”
“Fewston employs a literary device called a ‘frame narrative’ which may be less familiar to some, but allows for a picture-in-picture result (to use a photographic term). Snapshots of stories appear as parts of other stories, with the introductory story serving as a backdrop for a series of shorter stories that lead readers into each, dovetailing and connecting in intricate ways.”
“The American novelist CG FEWSTON tells a satisfying tale, bolstered by psychology and far-ranging philosophy, calling upon Joseph Campbell, J. D. Salinger, the King James Bible, and Othello.”
“In this way, the author lends intellectual heft to a family story, exploring the ‘purity’ of art, the ‘corrupting’ influences of publishing, the solitary artist, and the messy interconnectedness of human relationships.”
“Fewston’s lyrical, nostalgia-steeped story is told from the perspective of a 40-year-old man gazing back on events from his 1980s Texas childhood…. the narrator movingly conveys and interprets the greater meanings behind childhood memories.”
“The novel’s focus on formative childhood moments is familiar… the narrator’s lived experiences come across as wholly personal, deeply felt, and visceral.”
This is my good friend, Nicolasa (Nico) Murillo, CRC, who is a professional chef & a wellness mentor. I’ve known her since childhood & I’m honored to share her story with you. In life, we all have ups & downs, some far more extreme than others. Much like in Canada, in America, the legalization of marijuana has become a national movement, which includes safe & legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use & research for all.
“This is a wellness movement,” Nico explains. The wellness movement is focused on three specific areas: information, encouragement, & accountability.
In these stressful & unprecedented times, it makes good sense to promote & encourage the state or condition of being in good physical & mental health.
TEXANS FOR SAFE ACCESS ~ share the mission of their national organization, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), which is to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use and research, for all Texans.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Dream of Saint Ursula: A Mystery in the Virgin Islands (2014) by Kenneth Butcher takes its title from the painting by Vittore Carpaccio completed in 1495.
Much like Carpaccio in the series of nine paintings creating “Stories from the Life of St Ursula,” Butcher is also able to extract details and symbols from a scene by unifying multiple perceptions from numerous characters throughout a fluent narrative that delights and entertains steadily throughout the 261-page book.
The story and its style found in The Dream of Saint Ursula quickly become reflective of Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. and Pynchon’s ability to take dense, complex materials (albeit often loosely and incredibly interconnected) and include in his books history, music, and science.
The Dream of Saint Ursula also has a penultimate scene at an auction, much like Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 (1965)—which has further allusions to Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita (1955).
In the prologue, Butcher dangles the reader on the edge of serious-absurdity while keeping true to the plot centered on a painter called Richard Richard (surname pronounced “Re-shard” for good measure):
“In the kitchen he found that his roommate’s pet marmoset had left a pile of feces on the kitchen counter next to a packet of travel brochures for the Virgin Islands…
“Moreover, the pile was shaped roughly like a ziggurat. How was that even possible? He reflected on the demonic face of the creature with a mixture of interest and loathing. Could there be something more sinister at work behind those prurient eyes than mere animal instinct…
“He glanced quickly around the room to make sure that the marmoset was not concealing himself, ready to pounce and bite as he so often did…
“It was hard to say where the usual monkey business stopped and its drug-induced psychosis began” (p 7).
The marmoset, one of several memorable characters in the book, makes many more humorous appearances, and one of the best is in Chapter 8 called “Reduction of Image” as Butcher continues his clever ability to weave ad absurdum the believable, the everyday, and almost plausible as Charles Colebrook attends an art exhibit showcasing work by Richard “Re-shard” in the Virgin Islands:
“The next morning Charles Colebrook put a hand on Sophie’s waist to guide her out of the sunshine and into a low building next to the main exhibition hall. He was thinking how lovely she looked in the light cotton dress and sandals. She had a glow about her. His brother, Xavier, walked just in front of them.
“As they went down the hall the decibel level increased. It was that mixture of electronic music and human voices that he associated with cocktail parties, play intermissions and the opening of art exhibits…
“The title of the exhibit, according to the pamphlet handed out by a girl with purple hair, was Up Inside My World. The photo on the front of the pamphlet was an extreme close up of the face of a ventriloquist’s dummy. Charles always found ventriloquist dummies revolting because of their exaggerated features and especially because of the two lines descending from the corners of the mouth which allowed for the anticipation of the puppet’s jaw.
“Upon entering the hall the first thing confronting the visitor was the same dummy sitting on a very high chair. The dummy’s grotesquely thin legs were crossed, his right hand raised with the middle finger held up in the familiar salute of insolence…
“The painting that had impressed them, entitled Say Hello to My Little Friend, was an acrylic rendering of a marmoset doing cocaine. In the painting the small primate hunched on a coffee table in front of a pile of white powder, some of which it had been divided into lines. The animal clasped a razor blade in its little hand. Its head was tilted back, its snout was dusted with powder, and its gaping mouth exposed two needle-like lower incisors” (pgs 65-67).
With clarity and precision, Butcher also delights the reader when he captures the Virgin Islands, the primary setting for the mystery:
“Charlotte Amalie, the biggest city on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is centered on St. Thomas Harbor…
“It was on the top floor of one of these buildings well above the commercial district that Lieutenant Esteban sat on the terrace of the apartment that he called home, having some breakfast and coffee in the cool of the morning…
“This was Esteban’s idea of luxury; taking a little time with his breakfast early in the morning. The air was still cool. There was even a little breeze coming in over the harbor which brought cooking and baking smells up from the restaurants and bakeries below him. His little table was in the shade…
“From his balcony Esteban could see the ferry boats pull in and out of their landing area and he knew their movements well enough to tell who was at the helm of these venerable old sea horses. It might be some subtle movement in bringing the boat around in a turn or the angle and speed with which he approached the dock. It was a little hard to define, but there it was, like a person’s handwriting or the sound of his voice, a little bit different and distinctive for each pilot” (pgs 53-55).
In addition to the fun, summery scenes in the Virgin Islands, one of Butcher’s greatest strengths is his ability to weave among the numerous characters easily and without confusion, making these larger-than-life characters memorable in the process. A major player in the mystery, “The Termite” and his scenes are often redolent of Joseph Heller in his novel Catch–22 (1961); both writers merge and mix the intelligent with profane absurdity:
“Herman Kessel, the man Mia called The Termite, loved those little orange cheese crackers. It was not unusual for him to consume a dozen of the small cellophane packages of them in a day. Often several packages were eaten in quick succession like a man chain smoking cigarettes, lighting the next one from the last as it were.
“In his pocket he carried a small silver handled pocketknife with which he would slice open the packets with a practiced movement that many found vaguely prurient. The saltiness and the dry texture of the crackers required that he drink some beverage between bites. Root beer was his favorite and he preferred to drink it from aluminum cans. However, there was a problem with this pairing. The ratio of crackers in a packet to root beer in a can was slightly off” (p 118).
One side amusement to Butcher and The Dream of Saint Ursula is to see how characters relate to other characters—like how Herman “The Termite” Kessel could be representative of the marmoset, both having that “prurient” look (“prurient” meaning: “having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters, especially the sexual activity of others”) and what this means to the story’s plot as a whole.
As the mystery unfolds a bigger plot revealing a threat to national security and sovereignty, the fun begins in examining the tidbits of facts and clues Butcher leaves for the reader to follow to the end.
In The Dream of Saint Ursula, the symbols and themes are abundant, and overly fun to find in this witty summer read. Butcher does a masterful job resolving the mystery that propels the story forward into a climatic conclusion that was out there in the open for all to see. Overall: a fun, engaging read.
Keep reading and smiling…
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CG FEWSTON
The American novelist CG FEWSTON has been a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome (Italy), a Visiting Fellow at Hong Kong’s CityU, & he’s a been member of the Hemingway Society, Americans for the Arts, PEN America, Club Med, & the Royal Society of Literature. He’s also a been Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) based in London.
He’s the author of several short stories and novels. His works include A Father’s Son (2005), The New America: A Collection (2007), The Mystic’s Smile ~ A Play in 3 Acts (2007), Vanity of Vanities (2011), A Time to Love in Tehran (2015), Little Hometown, America (2020); A Time to Forget in East Berlin (2022), and Conquergood & the Center of the Intelligible Mystery of Being (2023).
He has a B.A. in English, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership (honors), an M.A. in Literature (honors), and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Fiction. He was born in Texas in 1979.
A TIME TO FORGET IN EAST BERLIN
BREW Book Excellence Award Winner
BREW Readers’ Choice Award Winner
“A spellbinding tale of love and espionage set under the looming shadow of the Berlin Wall in 1975… A mesmerising read full of charged eroticism.”
~ Ian Skewis, Associate Editor for Bloodhound Books, & author of best-selling novel A Murder of Crows (2017)
“An engrossing story of clandestine espionage… a testament to the lifestyle encountered in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War.”
~ Lone Star Literary Life Magazine
“There is no better way for readers interested in Germany’s history and the dilemma and cultures of the two Berlins to absorb this information than in a novel such as this, which captures the microcosm of two individuals’ love, relationship, and options and expands them against the blossoming dilemmas of a nation divided.”
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“A Time to Forget in East Berlin is a dream-like interlude of love and passion in the paranoid and violent life of a Cold War spy. The meticulous research is evident on every page, and Fewston’s elegant prose, reminiscent of novels from a bygone era, enhances the sensation that this is a book firmly rooted in another time.”
~ Matthew Harffy, prolific writer & best-selling historical fiction author of the “Bernicia Chronicles” series
“Vivid, nuanced, and poetic…”
“Fewston avoids familiar plot elements of espionage fiction, and he is excellent when it comes to emotional precision and form while crafting his varied cast of characters.”
“There’s a lot to absorb in this book of hefty psychological and philosophical observations and insights, but the reader who stays committed will be greatly rewarded.”
~ The Prairies Book Review
LITTLE HOMETOWN, AMERICA
“Readers of The Catcher in the Rye and similar stories will relish the astute, critical inspection of life that makes Little Hometown, America a compelling snapshot of contemporary American life and culture.”
“Fewston employs a literary device called a ‘frame narrative’ which may be less familiar to some, but allows for a picture-in-picture result (to use a photographic term). Snapshots of stories appear as parts of other stories, with the introductory story serving as a backdrop for a series of shorter stories that lead readers into each, dovetailing and connecting in intricate ways.”
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“The American novelist CG FEWSTON tells a satisfying tale, bolstered by psychology and far-ranging philosophy, calling upon Joseph Campbell, J. D. Salinger, the King James Bible, and Othello.”
“In this way, the author lends intellectual heft to a family story, exploring the ‘purity’ of art, the ‘corrupting’ influences of publishing, the solitary artist, and the messy interconnectedness of human relationships.”
~ Lone Star Literary Life Magazine
GOLD Winner in the 2020 Human Relations Indie Book Awards for Contemporary Realistic Fiction
FINALIST in the SOUTHWEST REGIONAL FICTION category of the 14th Annual National Indie Excellence 2020 Awards (NIEA)
“Fewston’s lyrical, nostalgia-steeped story is told from the perspective of a 40-year-old man gazing back on events from his 1980s Texas childhood…. the narrator movingly conveys and interprets the greater meanings behind childhood memories.”
“The novel’s focus on formative childhood moments is familiar… the narrator’s lived experiences come across as wholly personal, deeply felt, and visceral.”
~ The BookLife Prize
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American Novelist CG FEWSTON
This is my good friend, Nicolasa (Nico) Murillo, CRC, who is a professional chef & a wellness mentor. I’ve known her since childhood & I’m honored to share her story with you. In life, we all have ups & downs, some far more extreme than others. Much like in Canada, in America, the legalization of marijuana has become a national movement, which includes safe & legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use & research for all.
“This is a wellness movement,” Nico explains. The wellness movement is focused on three specific areas: information, encouragement, & accountability.
In these stressful & unprecedented times, it makes good sense to promote & encourage the state or condition of being in good physical & mental health.
To learn more you can visit: Americans For Safe Access & Texans for Safe Access, ASA (if you are in Texas).
The mission of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use and research.
Link: https://www.safeaccessnow.org/
TEXANS FOR SAFE ACCESS ~ share the mission of their national organization, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), which is to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use and research, for all Texans.
Link: https://txsafeaccess.org/about-1
Stay safe & stay happy. God bless.
Nico Murillo Bio ~ Americans & Texans for Safe Access ~ Medical Cannabis
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