The Call of the Red-Winged Blackbird: Essays on the Common and Extraordinary

by Tim Bowling

In this collection of essays Tim Bowling picks up the common questions, and beauties, of life and examines them closely. From questions of love and money to the search for solitude in a clamouring world, to poetry and the place of art today, Bowling writes thoughtfully on what it means to be alive. In the end, we come back to the moon, the trees, the salmon that swim to the sea and the call of the red-winged blackbird, which his mother imitated to call him inside at night, as a child.

Genres: Essays, Canada, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2022

Reviews

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was more enthusiastic about the essays in the beginning which I found interesting and relatable. The first part of the Hermit’s Smoke (and the gorgeous cover) is what sealed the deal to buy the book, as when I first opened it in chapters, that is the story my eye fell on, and I was enchanted by his boyhood recollection of his time living on the Fraser valley, a place I too grew up around and was familiar with. I loved that the author wrote about the city he lives in, and that I too live in, writing about places that I also frequent and paths I walk along. So that aspect was very engaging. I felt similarly as he did about the topics he was covering and so it was a pleasure to read. Things began to change though as I made my way through part 2 of the Hermit’s Smoke, which was initially quite interesting as the author writes of a number of famous, and infamous hermit’s perspectives which he examines and compares to one another, and to his own growing need for solitude which he seems to be wrestling with. After a while though this part became repetitious and as it progressed I became less and less enchanted with the theme and at times the connections all began to seem forced and the focus of his desire to be solitary became completely uninteresting to me. Perhaps, had this part of the book been pared down I’d have enjoyed it better. But it began to seem overly self absorbed and a little neurotic and I found the second half became a chore to get through. Which is a shame because this guy can write:

“The tide had almost stopped running out. The coffee-brown surface crept along, thick and sludgy, covered with drift, almost like a lava flow. Now the muddy banks were exposed, creating opportunities for the day’s first hunters. A great blue heron, that masterly creature of stillness, the visible companion to the sturgeon’s invisible patience, stood in the shallows on one thin leg, gazing with it’s unblinking yellow eyes at the almost-still water.”

When the author writes about nature, or almost anything but his obsessive focus on solitude, he shines but the self indulgent reflections on solitude lacked the depth to fully engage me and because so much of the focus was on that topic, ultimately this didn’t work for me. Now this could be entirely the fault of the reader, not being someone who reads a lot of essays and perhaps I am unfamiliar with the format, which is definitely something to keep in mind. But I can only go by my experience and that I must be true about. Some of those passages though, they’re definitely going to stick with me.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started with short essays and ended with a long essay on hermits, solitude and living through memories. I really enjoyed the long essay despite thinking “will I relate to this? Will I get anything out of this?”

I was spoken to deeply and I’m grateful for receiving this from an online giveaway. I can see myself returning to the essay years from now.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this thoughtful collection of essays by Tim Bowling. Set against the author's salmon fishing career in the Pacific Northwest, Bowling's book primarily examines the concept of solitude. As an aside, his mother used to call him in from play by imitating the call of the red-winged blackbird.