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The Mysterium
A bizarre plague has struck the town of Carrick: one by one the normally taciturn townspeople are dying after talking compulsively for hours. In hope of finding the cause of this decimating illness, James Maxwell listens to their outpourings for possible clues. As the stories interweave, the town's disturbing history emerges. During World War II a nearby camp of German prisoners of war were killed in a suspicious mining explosion. Is the plague, then, a massive act of retribution, set in motion by a single surviving P.O.W.? Or are its roots closer to home? As Maxwell struggles to solve the enigma, he encounters the elusive nature of truth. He finds at the heart of every story and every truth, there is only mystery.
259 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 1992
About the author
Eric McCormack
18 books39 followersEric McCormack was born in Scotland, later emigrated to Canada and, since 1970, has been teaching at St. Jerome's University in Waterloo, Ontario. He started out on his career writing short stories which appeared in literary journals including Prism International, West Coast Review, Malahat Review, and The New Quarterly. He has also written poetry over the years. In February 1987 his first book, Inspecting the Vaults was published. This is a collection of nineteen short stories, thirteen of which had been previously published in literary magazines. His first novel, The Paradise Motel, was published in February 1989. Eric McCormack became the focus of considerable media interest and his books were translated into many foreign languages. His next novel, The Mysterium, was released in 1992, and his most recent book, First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women was published in 1997. It was nominated for the Governor General's Award. Eric McCormack also frequently reviews for The Globe and Mail. His works to date have received much critical acclaim.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 28, 2009
I had never heard of the author before until reading “Shelf Monkey” by Corey Redekop. He used him as an outlet of sorts. “Shelf Monkey” is told through emails that the main character writes to McCormack after having met him at a signing. Here is a rundown of what the book is about thanks to Publishers Weekly and Amazon.Com:
There seems to be different shades of this story. The first part is a letter that is narrated by one of the citizens of Carrick, written specifically to Maxwell. I gives off the vibe of a spooky type story. When Maxwell get to Carrick himself to interview people, then dark comedy seems to start creeping in. All aspects are good.
The mysteries surrounding the town’s past play a huge part in the current events, too. Carrick has seen a few tragedies leading up to this most recent. Along with the pasts of it’s citizens, especially their parents, there is much to be made from them. All these threads are pulled together very well as the story unfolds. It is easy to see the effects of these events and choices have had on the characters, how they have developed views and opinions, and how it effects their initial thoughts as the vandalism starts.
McCormack’s writing style is very accessible, yet still peppered with unique prose. The way he gives just enough to make the story interesting, then revealing more later, worked very well, an obvious talent at telling stories. One thing though was how the book finished. There is good and bad in it. The reasons for the most recent happenings in Carrick seem rather unexpected yet dull. But there is enough mystery left with why the citizens reacted and believed what they did. They are still unanswered at the end of the book.
It’s not a very long book, and the story telling, plus writing style make it move even faster. Even where there seems to be a lack of overall “bang” out of the story, it still gives a richly detailed look at life in a small town, what prejudices can do to it’s citizens, and how a mystery can seemed to be solved when actually it isn’t.
Carrick is a fog-shrouded, former mining town-a place of coal smoke, dead bracken and heather-in the Uplands of a country identified only as the Island. Recent acts of vandalism – the mutilation of a war memorial, desecration of a cemetery, acid thrown on books at the library – are followed by the death of a shepherd, whose body is found with his lips cut off. Then a plague strikes, killing first the animals, then children and adults. Most of the victims become garrulous, in effect talking themselves to death. Could a mad poisoner be avenging the loss of 19 Carrick soldiers in the collapse of a bridge during what is referred to as “the War?” Or are the events related to the apparent accident in which enemy POWs working the Carrick Mine were drowned? James Maxwell, a cub reporter from the Capital, assists Reeve Blair (a reeve is a police official) in his investigation. Maxwell finds patterns that lead him to utterly false but intriguing conclusions.
There seems to be different shades of this story. The first part is a letter that is narrated by one of the citizens of Carrick, written specifically to Maxwell. I gives off the vibe of a spooky type story. When Maxwell get to Carrick himself to interview people, then dark comedy seems to start creeping in. All aspects are good.
The mysteries surrounding the town’s past play a huge part in the current events, too. Carrick has seen a few tragedies leading up to this most recent. Along with the pasts of it’s citizens, especially their parents, there is much to be made from them. All these threads are pulled together very well as the story unfolds. It is easy to see the effects of these events and choices have had on the characters, how they have developed views and opinions, and how it effects their initial thoughts as the vandalism starts.
McCormack’s writing style is very accessible, yet still peppered with unique prose. The way he gives just enough to make the story interesting, then revealing more later, worked very well, an obvious talent at telling stories. One thing though was how the book finished. There is good and bad in it. The reasons for the most recent happenings in Carrick seem rather unexpected yet dull. But there is enough mystery left with why the citizens reacted and believed what they did. They are still unanswered at the end of the book.
It’s not a very long book, and the story telling, plus writing style make it move even faster. Even where there seems to be a lack of overall “bang” out of the story, it still gives a richly detailed look at life in a small town, what prejudices can do to it’s citizens, and how a mystery can seemed to be solved when actually it isn’t.
August 22, 2023
One of Canada's finest gothic mysteries. A reporter tries to separate fact from fiction as he delves into the mystery of Carrick, a small town whose citizenry has died off due to a virus that causes them to literally talk themselves to death. McCormack's novel is a dizzying, dazzlingly dark array of twists, turns, irrational characters, and conflicting narratives, fully establishing his place as one of the preeminent practitioners of Canadian Gothic.
November 16, 2013
A collection of mysteries, an examination of technique, a tale of small community life and the secrets held within. If you've read any Eric McCormack before, these will be familiar to you - the grim fog of some Silent Hill-like place, the occasional buzz of the tropics, and the presentation of facts and unreliable narrators in the framework of diaries, museum cases and interviews.
The book seems very much to echo the experience of the expatriate: to have an established identity but to be located in another place entirely. Hence, the quasi-Scottish setting of the Uplands (as opposed to Highlands, I would guess, given the preponderance of fog, whisky and tartan) contains both a sense of strong identity and of rootlessness - encouraged even more by the onion-like layers of mystery that the reader (and their tool, village-people and a journalist) try to decipher.
In this work, McCormack references his existing canon (events in The Paradise Motel are referenced and amplified), his professional interest in 17th century literature and the anonymity and ignorance rendered by memory and what we think we know. It's a befuddling, enjoyable mix, with the same sort of appeal that shrouds The Wicker Man.
The only criticism I have is that it feels very much interchangeable with some of his other work - though I suspect that's because he's been sharpening his tools to create the perfect, indescribable memento mori. He's come pretty close here, patchy as the structure may appear.
The book seems very much to echo the experience of the expatriate: to have an established identity but to be located in another place entirely. Hence, the quasi-Scottish setting of the Uplands (as opposed to Highlands, I would guess, given the preponderance of fog, whisky and tartan) contains both a sense of strong identity and of rootlessness - encouraged even more by the onion-like layers of mystery that the reader (and their tool, village-people and a journalist) try to decipher.
In this work, McCormack references his existing canon (events in The Paradise Motel are referenced and amplified), his professional interest in 17th century literature and the anonymity and ignorance rendered by memory and what we think we know. It's a befuddling, enjoyable mix, with the same sort of appeal that shrouds The Wicker Man.
The only criticism I have is that it feels very much interchangeable with some of his other work - though I suspect that's because he's been sharpening his tools to create the perfect, indescribable memento mori. He's come pretty close here, patchy as the structure may appear.
September 26, 2019
Всё началось с того, что в тихом городе появился незнакомец. Затем кто-то разрушил памятник и осквернил кладбище. Следом книги библиотеки заливают кислотой. Позже – в городе гибнут животные, а люди умирают от странной болезни. Роман канадского писателя Эрика Маккормака «Мистериум» – мистический детектив, в котором вопросов, больше чем ответов.
С первых страниц Маккормак окутывает читателя зыбкой атмосферой затерянного в смутном пейзаже города. И это ощущение неуверенности, неточного шага, нераскрытой тайны, тонкого льда под ногами будет преследовать всё время, пока вы в «Мистериуме». Вместе с журналистом Джеймсом Максвеллом вам предстоит стать свидетелем страшной трагедии и попытаться, шаг за шагом, приблизиться к разгадке. Но не всё так традиционно просто.
В мире романов Маккормака присутствие тайны важнее её раскрытия, а слово «история» мерцает загадочным гипнотическим светом. Это писатель, у которого слова обретают плоть, становятся элементами пейзажа. Писатель, который водит читателя по лабиринтам, увлекая и завораживая, мороча голову и запутывая, окончательно сбивает с толку, и к финалу оставляет один на один со своими догадками.
При этом в «Мистериуме» у вас есть всё: место и время действия, полный список героев, мотиваций и свидетельств, точные описания характеров преступлений. Общая картина, на первый взгляд, достаточна ясная. Но нет главного – ответа на вопрос: что же произошло на самом деле?
И тут-то и начинается самое интересное: эта затейливая мозаика складывается вроде бы несложно. Но вот незадача – складываться-то складывается, но почему-то всегда – по-разному. И в этом тоже волшебство романа. Интуиция оказывается важнее уверенности, а случайные детали могут быть важнее свидетельских показаний. Но не стоит стремиться искать истину между строк.
Она там, где-то среди нечётких контуров едва различимого в густом тумане вымершего города.
С первых страниц Маккормак окутывает читателя зыбкой атмосферой затерянного в смутном пейзаже города. И это ощущение неуверенности, неточного шага, нераскрытой тайны, тонкого льда под ногами будет преследовать всё время, пока вы в «Мистериуме». Вместе с журналистом Джеймсом Максвеллом вам предстоит стать свидетелем страшной трагедии и попытаться, шаг за шагом, приблизиться к разгадке. Но не всё так традиционно просто.
В мире романов Маккормака присутствие тайны важнее её раскрытия, а слово «история» мерцает загадочным гипнотическим светом. Это писатель, у которого слова обретают плоть, становятся элементами пейзажа. Писатель, который водит читателя по лабиринтам, увлекая и завораживая, мороча голову и запутывая, окончательно сбивает с толку, и к финалу оставляет один на один со своими догадками.
При этом в «Мистериуме» у вас есть всё: место и время действия, полный список героев, мотиваций и свидетельств, точные описания характеров преступлений. Общая картина, на первый взгляд, достаточна ясная. Но нет главного – ответа на вопрос: что же произошло на самом деле?
И тут-то и начинается самое интересное: эта затейливая мозаика складывается вроде бы несложно. Но вот незадача – складываться-то складывается, но почему-то всегда – по-разному. И в этом тоже волшебство романа. Интуиция оказывается важнее уверенности, а случайные детали могут быть важнее свидетельских показаний. Но не стоит стремиться искать истину между строк.
Она там, где-то среди нечётких контуров едва различимого в густом тумане вымершего города.
May 30, 2024
Eric McCormack liked to write stories about people telling other people's stories. It was one of his literary trademarks. He was damn good at it, and I'd eat it up every time he served it up.
I'm also a sucker for a unique turn of phrase; I like it when writers write something I've never read before, a sentence or idea(s) I've never encountered, thoughts I've never had.
Outside the Pharmacy a balloon of smoke was having trouble separating itself from a parked ambulance's tail pipe.
There you go; that's one great example of dozens upon dozens sewn throughout The Mysterium (that I was too engrossed in reading and/or too lazy to write down during). McCormack could have said it simpler (every time) and still have told a good story, but his unique voice elevates the entire reading experience into something delicious, poetic (without pretention), and enthralling.
As for the story itself? Do you like mysteries? Odd mysteries, full of odd characters, doing and saying odd things? Bleak environments and haunting pasts? Death, and dark sex? But meted out like a slow and enveloping fog? Then this is your book.
As his career progressed, McCormack only wrote more strange and captivating stories, but all the roots are showing here, and you'll want to trip over and into them as you rush to get to the end. I know I stole every moment I could from my daily life to rip into and gorge on this dark tale.
Now digesting and suggesting you might do the same...
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ &1/2
I'm also a sucker for a unique turn of phrase; I like it when writers write something I've never read before, a sentence or idea(s) I've never encountered, thoughts I've never had.
Outside the Pharmacy a balloon of smoke was having trouble separating itself from a parked ambulance's tail pipe.
There you go; that's one great example of dozens upon dozens sewn throughout The Mysterium (that I was too engrossed in reading and/or too lazy to write down during). McCormack could have said it simpler (every time) and still have told a good story, but his unique voice elevates the entire reading experience into something delicious, poetic (without pretention), and enthralling.
As for the story itself? Do you like mysteries? Odd mysteries, full of odd characters, doing and saying odd things? Bleak environments and haunting pasts? Death, and dark sex? But meted out like a slow and enveloping fog? Then this is your book.
As his career progressed, McCormack only wrote more strange and captivating stories, but all the roots are showing here, and you'll want to trip over and into them as you rush to get to the end. I know I stole every moment I could from my daily life to rip into and gorge on this dark tale.
Now digesting and suggesting you might do the same...
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ &1/2
April 4, 2020
I loved the witty and humorous treatment of the modern Western culture entwined with the narrative.
My favorite place was Reeve Blair's lecture on crime solving methodologies. I "read" this book by listening to the audio version brilliantly narrated with accents and all, and at first I suspected something was fishy, but when Reeve Blair mentioned a crime solving technique where "a crime was structured like a language" all doubt was dispelled. I laughed not only at the wit but at myself being slow to recognize what the author was showing me.
This was a brilliant parody on the post-war cultural/philosophical systems and it was fairly easy to recognize the main characters. I enjoyed this aspect of the book the most.
My favorite place was Reeve Blair's lecture on crime solving methodologies. I "read" this book by listening to the audio version brilliantly narrated with accents and all, and at first I suspected something was fishy, but when Reeve Blair mentioned a crime solving technique where "a crime was structured like a language" all doubt was dispelled. I laughed not only at the wit but at myself being slow to recognize what the author was showing me.
This was a brilliant parody on the post-war cultural/philosophical systems and it was fairly easy to recognize the main characters. I enjoyed this aspect of the book the most.
June 17, 2021
В неком фантастическом мире была война. В маленьком городке оказались военнопленные. Один из них переспал с женой аптекаря. Тогда он и ещё двое горожан подстроили аварию на шахте, где работали военнопленные. Последние все погибли. Теперь же погибают все жители города от непонятной болезни. Все подозрения падают толи на сына того аптекаря, толи на чужака, очевидно, сына того военнопленного. История, обрастая свидетельствами и сказаниями умирающих друг за другом горожан поворачивается то одним, то другим боком. И истины нет….
September 18, 2017
Jaka četvorka.
Nije masterpis, ali će sigurno zadovoljiti apetit svih ljubitelja misterije.
Nije masterpis, ali će sigurno zadovoljiti apetit svih ljubitelja misterije.
January 7, 2020
The only adequate review of this perfect and beautiful novel is this:
“telling the truth is only possible when you don’t know very much.”
“telling the truth is only possible when you don’t know very much.”
August 12, 2014
I heard great reviews of The Dutch Wife, his recent book (2002), but the library line-up was much too long. I thought I'd try an earlier one to check out his style. This is from 1992, and is his third. I hope the style has improved. The writing itself - the description, the similes and metaphors - was all good, but I felt it was missing a story. This is a detective novel about the 'how' of problem solving, blending in with the investigation a series of documents, letters, and interview transcripts. There is some mystery, but there also are a lot of false paths and asides. At the end, I didn't really care 'who-done-it", or who would be left alive.
I may still try The Dutch Wife. Or not.
I may still try The Dutch Wife. Or not.
December 17, 2015
Маккормак страшно головаст и рукаст по части создания пространства, в котором уместно лиловое солнце (тм).
Для меня в этом тексте главное -- невозможность объективной реальности, пока в ней есть люди. И парадокс превращения жизни в сказ и обратно.
Для меня в этом тексте главное -- невозможность объективной реальности, пока в ней есть люди. И парадокс превращения жизни в сказ и обратно.
June 26, 2008
Really liked it, a bit sci-fi-ish. Ending left a lot to be desired though.
October 14, 2012
More a series of linked stories and sketches than a novel. Uneven in spots but the best parts make up for the rest.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews