| The phone rings several times before I connect to the "Ice House" just outside Jasper, where my Uncle Robert (Sedlack) divides his time with Los Angeles. Uncle Rob answers without saying anything and when he hears my "hello?" responds with a loud, resounding belch.
I roll my eyes, hardly surprised at his greeting considering that many of my childhood memories of Uncle Rob involve him wrestling with my two brothers, pinning them down and farting on their faces. As far as weapons of mass destruction go, I think Bush should be far more concerned with what Uncle Rob has in his power than anything Iraq might be hiding.
It is here I should note that my uncle’s talents and passions go far beyond the immature amusements typical of every boy trying to be a man. His second book, The Horn of a Lamb, has just been published and is being scrutinized carefully by book reviewers across the country – especially after his first novel, The African Safari Papers, received such critical acclaim.
The Horn of a Lamb is about Fred Pickle, a handicapped man who sustained a serious brain injury while playing hockey at the age of 19 and now lives on a sheep farm with his Uncle Jack in rural Western Canada. When Fred finds his favourite hockey team is being sold to the U.S. because of money, his world falls apart and he sets out on a journey to save his dignity and to stand up for what he believes in. It is the story of a 40-year-old boy discovering who he is – as a man, as a Canadian and as a dedicated hockey fan.
There is a strong sense of Canadian nationalism throughout the novel and a pervasive feeling that Canadians are losing their identity to America. For Uncle Rob, these issues are a part of his daily life. He has been a Canadian living in Los Angeles for 13 years.
"Living in America makes one either more American or more fiercely patriotic to their own country," he says. "You put up with too much of what they think are funny jokes – ‘eh?’, ‘Aboot.’" It’s an irritation that has been building ever since he first entered New York University at the age of 19.
Badger, one of the characters in his new novel, is an old man who was an activist in his younger days, being anti-corporate, anti-war and slightly cynical. Some elements of his character appear to be autobiographical. Almost everything that Badger says, I can envision Uncle Rob standing up at our dinner table, slamming his fist down and shouting out. At one point, Badger says to Fred, "Why are we so stupid Fred?… Our food isn’t grown by farmers anymore. It’s made by chemists…. The planet’s dying because a few men want to stay rich and nobody seems to give a shit." When I read that for the first time, it was the second time I had heard it. This time it was coming from a fictional character who is, I would dare to say, loosely based on the author.
But when I question him on it, he responds that Badger is inspired by his next-door neighbour in Hollywood – Phil Stern, the renowned American photographer. In fact, in the novel, one of the few things that Fred remembers on a consistent basis without having to read his many "reminder notes" is his father’s phone number, which is given in the text. If you actually dial up the number, you will hear a real recorded message by George (Fred’s father), played by Stern. That in itself is pretty indicative of the way Uncle Rob works. His wacky sense of humour is probably one of his best qualities.
Uncle Rob was born and raised in Calgary. From the day he was asked to stand up in front of his Grade 6 class at Willow Park Elementary School and read an essay he wrote about a homeless man, he has known he was meant to be a writer. And, in the tradition of authors from Hemingway to Richler, he balances his passionate convictions with a colourfully offbeat personality.
To me, the moment that will define Uncle Rob forever happened at a party I invited him to in Los Angeles. It was at the famous Skybar, which is very ritzy and notoriously difficult to get into. The bar is built around a lovely outdoor swimming pool that is mainly there for decoration. However, apparently Uncle Rob just couldn’t resist that tempting water and dove in fully clothed. I didn’t happen to see his impromptu dip and, for the rest of the night, I kept hearing about the "idiot who went swimming in his black Caterpillar work boots, black leather pants and black T-shirt." It wasn’t until the next morning that I found out the "idiot" was my Uncle Rob. And that is why I like him so much.
Robert Sedlack will be reading and signing The Horn of a Lamb at Café Books in Canmore on Tuesday, February 24 at 7 p.m., the James Joyce Pub on Stephen Avenue on Wednesday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Indigo Southcentre on Thursday, February 26 at 7 p.m. |
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