Good news and bad

I landed in Vancouver and promptly set about important business; that is, I found myself a hardcover copy of Thomas McGuane’s Ninety-Two in the Shade, a prize that has been eluding me for a couple of years now. I returned to the hotel, bubbling with a sense of triumph.

And then followed a link from Twitter to something about Paul Quarrington, the first words of which were, “Paul Quarrington was.” The past tense has, at times, a terrible impact. No-one is surprised, I suppose, but it seemed terribly sudden. I’m sorry that I never met him, not only because I loved Whale Music, but because of our shared interest in fishing.

I think I’ll re-read Whale Music when I get home.