A lighthearted, post-COVID-19 travel novel penned by an Orillia city councillor is hitting the shelves at Manticore Books Thursday.
Jay Fallis’ Ireland Awakening: A Post-Covid-19 Travel Story takes readers on a journey through Ireland, where the protagonist, Frasier, travels the island with hopes of moving past the pandemic and returning to regular life.
Along the way, however, Frasier finds himself on a humorous journey that goes awry, whether he finds himself chased from a castle, commandeering a seafaring boat, or winding up in the middle of a road bowling tournament.
“It's kind of the story of (Frasier) overcoming some of the fears of COVID and enjoying the experience around travelling through Ireland,” Fallis told OrilliaMatters. “I wanted to create a book that was lighthearted and humorous, for kind of a fun story, and I wanted to make it so that it was a book that I'd be interested in reading.”
Though Frasier’s adventure may not be normal, Fallis said the character does learn to reconnect with others.
“As we kind of experienced with COVID, I think you get further and further away from thinking about it, and then it pops up intermittently,” Fallis said. “That's kind of the story … it's the fun of travelling, but it's also in some ways overcoming the fear.”
“The points of fear, I think, are not as relevant as the importance of connections with family and friends and enjoying life,” Fallis said. “The character recognizes the importance of the health measures in place, but at the same time I think it's a personal journey of getting back to that freedom.”
With strong family roots in the nation, Fallis said his experiences travelling Ireland served as inspiration for the novel.
“There are some elements of it … that are kind of based on things that I've seen travelling, and I always really enjoy the culture of Ireland and the scenery,” Fallis said. “I kind of travel by the seat of my pants … I don't know where I'm going to end up, or where I'm going to stay, or anything like that, and I think that's part of the fun of the story.”
In order to ensure the accuracy of the story, Fallis retraced his travels through Ireland on a map as he was writing, and he enlisted the help of family and friends who had either lived in Ireland or travelled it themselves.
Fallis said he never saw himself writing a novel, and Ireland Awakening will likely be the only book in his bibliography. Despite that, he said he enjoyed the process.
He said he heard a suggestion on CBC Radio in the early stages of COVID-19 to keep a journal through the pandemic, but he thought it would be more fun to write a fictional story.
“It's been a great experience, but I don't know if I'd ever write another book. I'm very happy with this being my one book,” he said. “It was an interesting way of taking my creative side and putting it to use.”
Fallis has also submitted his novel to be considered for the Leacock Medal for Humour.
“It's a pretty competitive award so, I mean, (it’s just) kind of for fun,” he said.
Ireland Awakening may also be purchased in print or as an ebook on Amazon.
