OBIR: Occasional Biased and Ignorant Reviews reflecting this reader’s opinion.
Commentary – by Karen Bingley
on the novella “GRAMPS V THE REAL SANTA™”
in “TALES FOR LATE NIGHT BONFIRES” – by G.A. Grisenthwaite
Publisher: Freehand Books, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 2023.
Editor: Jamie Tennant
Book design: Natalie Olsen
Note: All stories in the collection by G.A. Grisenthwaite
EXPLANATION – by R. Graeme Cameron.
When I reviewed “Tales for Late Night Bonfires” on April 15, 2024, I only had time and space to review the first nine stories. I missed reviewing the novella “Gramps v The Real Santa,™” which, in hindsight, may well be the highlight of the collection. Printing Karen’s article corrects the imbalance.
Karen’s comments are mostly an analysis of the anatomy of the novella. Normally, in my reviews, I offer just enough of the plot to intrigue the readers. However, her article brings out not only the complexity of the story but the sheer audacity and courage of Grisenthwaite in addressing the ongoing problems of life as a First Nations’ citizen. Oppression isn’t just a sad memory of the past. It’s still part of the cultural fabric of Canada today.
Many people tend not to want to be reminded of this. However, we Canadians (and this also applies to Americans) are lucky enough to live in a democratic adversarial system where everyone has the right to campaign and advocate and lobby on behalf of their own vested interest or identity or group-awareness. A source of conflict, true, but as Winston Churchill pointed out, “Democracy is the worst form of government… except for all the others.” Far better than the unity imprinted by the jackboot, anyone’s jackboot.
I feel Karen’s article is a listing of the powerful blows, one after another, that Grisenthwaite applies to the stereotype of the “contented Indian, pleased to be assimilated and converted into a good imitation of a white man,” blows which are in-your-face punches of reality-based examples of what many First Nations’ people are forced to endure through no choice of their own.
Frankly, despite detailing the plot in depth, normally a no/no in a review, I believe Karen’s article successfully argues that the story is so good and so important it should damn well be read by as many people as possible. And I agree. Hence my posting it here.
Gramps v The Real Santa™
Premise:
An experimental horror story loosely based on the song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”
Article – by Karen Bingley:
The novella, “Gramps V the Real Santa™” is loaded. A shaggy dog story injected with interfusional writing. Grisenthwaite shows chaos by giving chaos. He illuminates darkness and doesn’t shy away. Grisenthwaite doesn’t wade in shallow waters, he plunges straight in. Introduces us early to the hypocrisy engrained in society. Uses trifecta to float freely without constraints of time. He examines the imposition of Christian beliefs on savages holding “pagan beliefs”. The trinity leads to the importance of Christmas, Christ’s birthday. A birthday that isn’t really his birthday, seemingly irrelevant fact, consumed by consumerism.
In this masterpiece, he examines the imposition of Christian beliefs on a people stripped of home and identity, emphasizing the struggle for identity, amidst chaos. Gramps, a dark skinned Indian reaches the age of understanding before he knew what to understand.
The genesis of the story begins with the introduction of Gramps to religion, at age 36, by an Anglican preacher, Father Pierre, who introduces Christmas, a celebration of Christ’s birthday, a day that is not his birthday. Gramps learns that Jesus loves everyone, except the dark-skinned people. Gramps is a son, a father (maybe with Ziffs help) and a holy ghost that transcends time (Frank, the inner child, who like Santa, gives gifts.) His gifts are of the past, a reminder that not all gifts are good. An identity, stolen before birth, impacting the present and generations to come. Gramps has been gifted with past scars and suffers chronic depression.
The story moves forward through the progeny of Gramps, born without identity, into a world of dysfunction and hypocrisy. 13 kids, a significant number, and an atheist preacher praying Real Santa will be guided to the throne of Christmas. Gramps hates Real Santa, is blamed for ruining the 13 kids and kissing Granny Lanny. Hell is a hellish place.
Bliss was the first child, born from the feeling. A recluse who lived in the attic and wrote poems. One happy moment, he wrote himself into a rhyming couplet. He found a way to live, by dying.
George and Geogina were twins. Georgina made babies that would fight for rights taken with the same trickery as taking lands. George made babies. He was good at it and this foreshadowed his shotgun ending.
Guy and Gal were twins living in Vancouver, preyed upon by cops and straight men. Guy was beaten to death by cops, his death ruled accidental drowning. Justice was doled, but not by the courts. Gal tries to escape the attacks, signed herself into a mental institution and died in the institution from food poisoning.
Glenda, a virgin till 24, married and had 19 kids. Gramps visited the kids but Granny didn’t as long as they walked the earth.
Glenn, a man-whore, died at 33 of syphilis and HIV pneumonia, made no babies.
Garry was gifted a name caused by a typo on his birth certificate. When his 4th wife did not have his life stamina, he packed a bag and headed for the mountains. He returned as a ghost, observing the continuance of life. His spirit separated and formed part of the happy face emoji constellation.
Gretchen moved us to appearance/reality. Gramps was given a role as Vietnamese refugee without being Vietnamese and treated to a buffet that wasn’t. Gretchen died at 15, the victim of a dust devil deposited into River.
Grace wanted to be a dancer but doesn’t.
Gabe is feisty. At 17 became a deckhand on the Athenia. Stayed with the other 117 crew, at the bottom of the Atlantic.
Gavin gets his status card in the mail. Gavin expired before his Indianness card does. Gavin is mostly invisible to others; Gramps missed him the most.
Gwendolyn grew up thinking Indians are bad, lazy, a bunch of drunken louts. Lived off the rez and had 5 kids with 5 princes-of-the-day. Gramps was confronted by the TV real Indian way.
Gramps hates the idea of Granny kissing Real Santa. It’s this struggle that propels the story from this point. Real Santa makes babies with the elf-women in his charge. A Father who refuses to father, extends pain into the future. Thing with self-indulgent greed, there is always someone greedier. Cue, for Amazon. Gramps visits a porn parlor. Unlike other customers, he is given a bucket instead of Kleenex. A hint of what’s to come.
We learn that Gramps lives in the Happy Valley Inn with his 13 kids. Indians are welcome, the sign says so. Just have to sign a paper that allows them not to give clean sheets, towels or toilet paper. Gramps lives in poverty, is preyed upon. Without an identity of his own, shackled by the one given, Gramps is chronically depressed. Gramps searches for Real Santa.
Santa abandons his workshop and seeks a Chinese company to undercut Amazon and produce sex dolls. Bot society is born. Bot porn, Tinder for Bots, Bot Clap, Netflix for Bots and Sex Bot hotels. Women revolt which leads to a Royal Commission to investigate and create a nice report with guidelines. No teeth, just lips.
In the midst of societies collapse as known, Gramps goes after the real problem, the Real Santa, he wants to escape hell. While trying to choke life from Real Santa, he realizes the ultimate truth, the Real Santa exists in his head.
Grisenthwaite tells dirty little secrets, gracefully.
CONCLUSION:
Karen Bingley is the author of the poem “The Seeds of Kwah” which will appear in Polar Starlight #19 in June of 1925. The poem is written about and with the permission of Patrick Joseph Prince, status member of Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation of Fort St. James, British Columbia.
Concerning G.A. Grisenthwaite, I quote from the afterword of his book and then my final comments in my original review of his collection:
“Gord is nłeʔkepmx, a member of the Lytton First Nation, has earned an MA in English Literature & Creative Writing at the University of Windsor (2020). His first novel, Home Waltz, a finalist for the 2021 Governor General’s Award for fiction, is now available.”
“His work has appeared in Prairie Fire, FreeFall, Exile Quarterly, The Antigonish Review, Our Stories Literary Journal, Prism International, ndnCountry, Offset 17, Bawaajigan: Stories of Power, and Food of My People. His work has earned a number of prizes, including the 2013 John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award.”
Gord defines his stories as “interfusional,” which means a blending of both oral and written literary traditions. The oral traditions he learned from numerous elders and relatives growing up, as well as seeking out surviving remnants of same while doing research as an adult. Among writers he credits as influences he mentions Graham Green, Kinsella, Douglas Adams, Richard Brautigan, Grant Naylor, Tom Robbins, and Lewis Carroll. No wonder humour plays so important a role in his stories.
But what unites this collection is the level of spirituality which each story takes for granted. For someone as ignorant as I, it lends an otherworldly sparkle which I find excitingly original. Consequently, I find the stories delightful.
In addition, the rez manner of expression, which takes some getting used to, wins me over with its direct, to-the-point approach. Strikes me as a kind of prose poetry in fact. Epic in a minimalist way, you might say.
To call this fiction collection mythic fantasy is possibly a tad insulting to those who understand the spirituality involved, but as a label it does justify my reviewing it for Amazing Stories. And frankly, these stories really are amazing. Highly recommended.
Check it out at: < Tales For Late Night Bonfires >
