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Grin Reaping: Stories
" Grin Reaping catalogues the foibles of the fictional Boyle family. In a series of fourteeninterconnected short stories and musings, Rudy Boyle, a Northern Ontario college Englishteacher stuck both in middle age and in the middle of his five siblings, transforms the strangenessof his everyday life into exaggerated home-movie prose. From the significance of tuna fish andBotox, the threat of coyotes and aliens, to the big-ticket items of mortality, gender, climate-change, and Armageddon, Rudy tackles a range of topics with a wry, self-deprecating wit. As hevariously shares such snippets, he exaggerates small and mundane situations into comiccelebrations of the life of the mind, never letting the truth get in the way of a great story. Hisreminiscences deal not only with the absurdities of human nature, but also encompass the grief oflosing family. Rudy is bedeviled by neurosis, and cowed before the insignificant things in hisworld. He talks largely about small matters and trivially about great affairs. It is the nature of hisdilemma and the dilemma of his nature.
202 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2022
5 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Rod Carley
5 books15 followersGrin Reaping is award-winning author Rod Carley’s highly-anticipated third book. His second novel, KINMOUNT, won the Silver Medal for Best Regional Fiction from the 2021 Independent Publishers Book Awards and was one of ten books longlisted for the 2021 Leacock Medal for Humour. His first novel, A Matter of Will, was a finalist for the Northern Lit Award for Fiction. His short stories and creative non-fiction have appeared in Cloud Lake Literary, Blank Spaces Magazine, Broadview Magazine, the anthology 150 Years Up North and More, the Carter V. Cooper 2022 Short Fiction Anthology, and HighGrader Magazine. Rod was short-listed for 2021 Exile Quarterly’s Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Prize. He is an alumnus of the Humber School for Writers and resides in North Bay, ON. www.rodcarley.ca.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 16, 2022
As the title suggests and the cover makes clear, the stories in Grin Reaping by Rod Carley are often about death. So, this humour book includes tragedy along with the laughs, and is stronger for it. Don’t worry, there are plenty of laughs: from quick quips to more subtle jabs. And Carley’s wry observations about churchgoers, college students, unions, and especially families, will strike a chord in all but the most isolated of readers. His humour is often critical, but not cruel; he skewers, he rails, he self-flagellates (verbally), but there’s still a gentle Canadianness over it all, and the stories are peopled by vivid characters you’ll want to revisit whenever the absurdities of life leave you with no other choice but to laugh. That’s the essence of Grin Reaping that will make it an instant favourite.
July 4, 2022
With a keen eye for irony and pathos, Rod Carley has penned Grin Reaping, a page-turning collection of interconnected short stories. Narrated by the main character, Rudy Boyle, we are introduced to a seemingly normal small-town family, but at every turn, there is a surprise that brings insight and revelation. As the title suggests, Carley doesn’t shy away from the darkness that is so often present in great humour; it is a tightrope walk where every word keeps the balance of the narrative, and every wry exchange of dialogue moves the narrative forward. One moment it is spit-your-tea-out funny and the next, Carley reaches inward to grip at your heart. Each story brings you deeper into the Boyle family until you cannot help but root for their successes and grieve their losses. Like Sedaris and Salinger, Rod Carley holds up a mirror to the quirks within a family and, in doing so, reflects upon humanity itself.
September 20, 2022
Rod Carley has done it again! This series of short stories will keep you laughing while making you think simultaneously. The storyteller, Rudy Boyle, links the narrative while drawing you into his world and family. This is a fun read that should not be missed, get it now!
May 13, 2022
“Many writers are serious. Fewer are funny. If you’re lucky, once in a while, you come across that rare writer who makes you laugh and think at the same time, even in the same sentence. Rod Carley pulls it off in Grin Reaping, an off-kilter look at death that left me feeling happy, enlightened, and very much alive.”
Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.
“Imagine if a short story and a peculiar incident had a wisecracking baby possessed of unusual wisdom and a deeply humane sensibility. That almost, almost describes Rod Carley’s Grin Reaping. Line-by-line these episodes are fierce and funny and many of them leave indelible scorch marks on their targets, even while we grow to care about all the characters. The collection is generous, odd and quite wonderful. I hope many people get to meet the unforgettable Rudy Boyle and his associates.
I, for one, will never think about MacGyver the same way again. My view of elevator lifts, dogs, and weddings has also been altered forever. And please, do not get me started on the exceptional tooth-regeneration of the brontosaurus.
Susan Juby, author of The Woefield Poultry Collective and winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour
“When I say I laughed out loud at Grin Reaping, I mean it. Carley writes with a quick wit, keen observational skill, and a sense of playfulness that infuses the language on every page. But to classify this as simply a “funny” book does it a disservice—beneath the surface, this is a book with a truly tender heart. These are stories shot through with a current of grief and loss, and populated with unforgettable characters who, despite their clever jokes and quirky worldviews, are authentic, vulnerable, and wholly human. Grin Reaping is a joy to read, and Rod Carley is a writer to watch.”
Amy Jones, author of We’re All in This Together, shortlisted for the Leacock Medal for Humour
“Carley scribbles in that special space between humour and humiliation, the quaint and the absurd. The stories in Grin Reaping are both familial and familiar, cheeky, wistful and human on the best level. His playfulness with language and comedic timing are masterful. Read it and reap.
Ali Bryan, author of The Figgs, shortlisted for the Leacock Medal.
“Rod Carley's previous book Kinmount was nominated for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. He may well win that award for this warmly moving, wildly inventive and wickedly funny collection of tall tales. One of the great compliments you can give a book is to say, "you can't put it down." That doesn't apply to Grin Reaping. You will have to put this book down repeatedly because you will be laughing so hard. Indeed, you will laugh out loud on almost every single page. So settle down, buckle up, and prepare yourself.”
Ian Ferguson - Leacock Award Winner, Village of the Small Houses.
“If you explore some of Canada’s more picturesque literary trails, you might happen upon the spot where Robertson Davies’ “The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks” intersects with Stephen Leacock’s “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town” as well as the best Dave and Morley stories from Stuart McLean’s “Vinyl Café.” That’s where you’ll find Rod Carley’s Grin Reaping, a collection of short stories blending whimsy, pathos, melancholy and cheer. You’ll find elevators to heaven and talking pets sharing the page with the stark realities of aging, death and dementia. It’s an emotionally complex journey, both uplifting and heartbreaking, and it’s a literary trip I’m glad to have taken.”
Dr. Randal Graham, author of the Beforelife stories.
“Grin Reaping is a comic blast of a book. It's so wryly observed with sharply hilarious specifics -- one page in and I found myself booted back to my tiny Canadian hometown with all its rural absurdities. Rod's got a gift for giving dignity to people who'd probably snort-laugh if you ever called them 'dignified'. In these pages, you'll find a definitive power ranking of Timbits decided by teachers enduring a winter work strike. You'll read of friends and family caring for their pets -- be they hermaphrodite border collies or the ghosts of long-dead cats. And you'll learn about a man who constructed a shrine to Muskoka via Hollywood celebrity Kurt Russell. But you'll also realize what a huge heart Rod Carley has, as he lovingly (in a very Rod Carley way) eulogizes family members he's lost by transforming their lives into enduring small town myths.”
Sean Reycraft, screenwriter for The Witching Hour, Coroner, Slings & Arrows, and Degrassi.
Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.
“Imagine if a short story and a peculiar incident had a wisecracking baby possessed of unusual wisdom and a deeply humane sensibility. That almost, almost describes Rod Carley’s Grin Reaping. Line-by-line these episodes are fierce and funny and many of them leave indelible scorch marks on their targets, even while we grow to care about all the characters. The collection is generous, odd and quite wonderful. I hope many people get to meet the unforgettable Rudy Boyle and his associates.
I, for one, will never think about MacGyver the same way again. My view of elevator lifts, dogs, and weddings has also been altered forever. And please, do not get me started on the exceptional tooth-regeneration of the brontosaurus.
Susan Juby, author of The Woefield Poultry Collective and winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour
“When I say I laughed out loud at Grin Reaping, I mean it. Carley writes with a quick wit, keen observational skill, and a sense of playfulness that infuses the language on every page. But to classify this as simply a “funny” book does it a disservice—beneath the surface, this is a book with a truly tender heart. These are stories shot through with a current of grief and loss, and populated with unforgettable characters who, despite their clever jokes and quirky worldviews, are authentic, vulnerable, and wholly human. Grin Reaping is a joy to read, and Rod Carley is a writer to watch.”
Amy Jones, author of We’re All in This Together, shortlisted for the Leacock Medal for Humour
“Carley scribbles in that special space between humour and humiliation, the quaint and the absurd. The stories in Grin Reaping are both familial and familiar, cheeky, wistful and human on the best level. His playfulness with language and comedic timing are masterful. Read it and reap.
Ali Bryan, author of The Figgs, shortlisted for the Leacock Medal.
“Rod Carley's previous book Kinmount was nominated for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. He may well win that award for this warmly moving, wildly inventive and wickedly funny collection of tall tales. One of the great compliments you can give a book is to say, "you can't put it down." That doesn't apply to Grin Reaping. You will have to put this book down repeatedly because you will be laughing so hard. Indeed, you will laugh out loud on almost every single page. So settle down, buckle up, and prepare yourself.”
Ian Ferguson - Leacock Award Winner, Village of the Small Houses.
“If you explore some of Canada’s more picturesque literary trails, you might happen upon the spot where Robertson Davies’ “The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks” intersects with Stephen Leacock’s “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town” as well as the best Dave and Morley stories from Stuart McLean’s “Vinyl Café.” That’s where you’ll find Rod Carley’s Grin Reaping, a collection of short stories blending whimsy, pathos, melancholy and cheer. You’ll find elevators to heaven and talking pets sharing the page with the stark realities of aging, death and dementia. It’s an emotionally complex journey, both uplifting and heartbreaking, and it’s a literary trip I’m glad to have taken.”
Dr. Randal Graham, author of the Beforelife stories.
“Grin Reaping is a comic blast of a book. It's so wryly observed with sharply hilarious specifics -- one page in and I found myself booted back to my tiny Canadian hometown with all its rural absurdities. Rod's got a gift for giving dignity to people who'd probably snort-laugh if you ever called them 'dignified'. In these pages, you'll find a definitive power ranking of Timbits decided by teachers enduring a winter work strike. You'll read of friends and family caring for their pets -- be they hermaphrodite border collies or the ghosts of long-dead cats. And you'll learn about a man who constructed a shrine to Muskoka via Hollywood celebrity Kurt Russell. But you'll also realize what a huge heart Rod Carley has, as he lovingly (in a very Rod Carley way) eulogizes family members he's lost by transforming their lives into enduring small town myths.”
Sean Reycraft, screenwriter for The Witching Hour, Coroner, Slings & Arrows, and Degrassi.
September 22, 2022
Another great book by Rod Carley. I really enjoyed his approach to the storytelling this time. Several heart warming and very funny short stories, all intertwined with Rudy Boyle’s family and other friends and acquaintances. As the foreword says - these aren’t stories but rather ‘tales’, so true. The first story, The Lift, was magical and hilarious and touching — setting the tone for the rest of the book. Highly recommended.
January 6, 2024
This has to be one of my new favourite books. At first I didn't take it seriously and just skimmed the pages, but then I sat with a coffee and seriously read this book. I spit coffee all over myself laughing. The way the short stories tied into each other were brilliant. It's a quick read but crazy difficult to put down.
July 8, 2022
I loved the humour and the pathos and the fact that the two kept surprising me at every turn. Someone who finds a quirky and wry perspective on life is my kind of writer.
Rudy and his family are folks you would like to know and hang out with. There would ever be a dull moment. Seriously!
Rudy and his family are folks you would like to know and hang out with. There would ever be a dull moment. Seriously!
August 7, 2022
Brilliantly funny while keeping a kind-hearted touch on the human condition of love and loss. I laughed and cried, but mostly laughed out loud at the way Rod Carley can shine a humorous light on the everyday events that plague us all.
November 28, 2023
Once in a while you encounter a book that just makes you laugh ... so much! That's this book by Rod Carley. I read Grin Reaping when I was stuck in airplane lineups and it was just the antidote I needed. Light. Fun characters. And very funny!
June 26, 2022
Congrats Rod. Truly funny. Perfect book for a summer weekend. I actually had to wipe my eyes after laughing out loud a few times. The faculty strike short story was chortlingly good!
September 17, 2022
If you like Terry Fallis, you're gonna love Rod Carley. Fast and funny, these fourteen stories are sure to entertain!
October 16, 2022
I know I will read whatever Rod Carley writes from here on out. I thoroughly enjoyed the pieces that make up this book, I laughed out loud, I groaned, I related--who hasn't wanted yard chickens? The cottage country segments rang true, as did the bugs, the fire bans, the family drama and the, yes, it should be said again, yard chickens, each with personality unique to itself. This is some funny stuff.
February 12, 2023
Full of laughs and crazy people and animals (lizards, in particular like Pancho Villa, and house pets Salinger, Salsa and Tortilla) that you will love. Carley has an acerbic wit and appreciation of issues (gender, environmentalism, mortality, etc.) that will allow you to revel in your own everyday challenges. This one was hard to put down and went into the wee hours several nights!
August 8, 2023
Definitely thought it was going to be a quirky horror book from the title, but it was actually a hilarious book that also touched my heart while making me think. The bite-sized short stories also make it easy to go through at your own pace, or binge in one day. Especially recommended to Canadians, because there are so many relatable Canadian moments.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews