Books
The 52nd Poem
April 15, 2002
AFTER AN ILLICIT AFFAIR, a man decides to send a poem a week to his former lover, even as he begins a new relationship. As the man's love affair progresses, the poems to his old lover continue until finally, he must send the last poem. But will he? Who will win the battle for his heart, the woman of the past or the woman of the present?
Using second person narrative to address both himself and the reader with the same sense of intimacy, Trofimuk manages to combine lyrical descriptions, open, emotional prose, and memorable characters. The 52nd Poem is a loving and sometimes brutal look at the pain of letting go.
Excerpted reviews for The 52nd Poem
"The best book I've read all year. It is as beautiful a novel as the landscape he describes so elegantly."
—KIM BRUNHUBER, CTV OTTAWA
"...he begins his novel with a poet's compressed precision, succeeding where other budding prose lyricists fail. Where some write with a fluid (or florid) lilt, and sentiments to match, Trofimuk offers a spare grace of expression and a narrative playfulness..."
—GLOBE & MAIL
"...The 52nd Poem is a Can Lit classic, and should have a place on the shelves of your personal library...a gripping, powerful and moving book...
—EDMONTON JOURNAL
"...almost every word he records resonates with beauty, truth and tenderness..."
—WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
"The poetic quality of Trofimuk's prose makes his ambitious novel worth the effort."
-CANADIAN BOOK REVIEW ANNUAL
"...a sensitive tale of love lost...Trofimuk has written a gracefully told story of the beginnings of love, and maybe its end."
—UPTOWN