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Colorful Cast of Characters
Life at the Precipice is the story of an Air Force officer suffering from PTSD and his journey to the mysterious community known as The Segway, the tales of its inhabitants, and his desire to make sense of it all. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I am a professor of Physics and Space Science at the Royal Military College of Canada, but in a previous career I flew as an Air Navigator with the Royal Canadian Air Force. I logged a few thousand hours on the CP-140 Aurora long-range maritime patrol aircraft. Without giving too much away, the source of the main character’s PTSD involves an incident onboard the Aurora. The premise came to me while flying on the aircraft . . . “What if this happened during a mission?” In the book it does happen. I leave that for the reader to discover. During my Aurora days I was based in Comox, British Columbia and loved my time there. I placed The Segway amidst the rugged beauty of central Vancouver Island because of my fond memories of the area.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
The story takes place in 2003, the same year I first conceived the novel. I wrote a detailed outline and sent it to a large publisher. . . you could do that without an agent in 2003. An editor thought the concept was fascinating and asked to see the entire novel! I was working on my PhD at the time, so my six-month prediction for completing the book was not realistic. When I finished the novel a few years later, the editor was no longer at the publishing house. The book sat on the shelf for quite a few years as I pursued my academic career, but eventually I blew the proverbial dust off the manuscript and decided to rediscover The Segway. It took a few re-writes to get the right blend of science, intrigue, character development and humor . . . but it essentially followed the original outline. Whenever I sat down to write, the town took on a life of its own, and I felt I was there with its inhabitants, who have been described by reviewers as “delightfully eccentric” and “entertaining.” They have certainly been good company for me over the years.
Are you a fan of the science fiction genre? What other genres or books do you think most influence your work?
I like any well-written book regardless of genre. Life at the Precipice straddles several genres. It has been called a mystery, fantasy, thriller, science fiction, memoir and literary with a sprinkling of popular science and humor. My Literary Titan review claims that the novel “refuses to adhere to the rules of any single genre.” When I decided to write Life at the Precipice, I wanted to create something different, original, novel . . . that was always my main goal.
I find a problem in well-written stories, in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?
With a colorful cast of characters living in such a mysterious town, there is plenty of material for a follow-up book. However, my next published novel will be The Girl on the Bridge. Whimsical, witty, and wildly imaginative, it is a love story for the ages. This book really makes me smile.
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Life at the Precipice
In 1959, an unprecedented seismic event caused landslides around the tiny lakeside town of Pyrite Ridge. As part of the phenomenon, a segue occurs. It makes the lake plunge steeply down, creating a nearly impassable abyss. The town is effectively cut off from the rest of the world. Subsequently, an Air Force officer named Travis Sivart finds himself drawn to Pyrite Ridge by mysterious events. As Travis gets to know the town’s few remaining reclusive residents, he suspects that painful episodes from his past might connect him to Pyrite Ridge in an unexpected and profound way. Solving the puzzle might be the only way he can retain his sanity.
Life at the Precipice, by R.F. Vincent, is a novel that refuses to adhere to the rules of any single genre. Instead, it walks the line between drama and fantasy, with poignant moments of good-natured humor interspersed throughout. It is somewhat reminiscent of the magical realism style employed so effectively by authors like Haruki Murakami. There is also a contemplative quality that recalls the David Gutterson novel Snow Falling on Cedars, another book about a secluded island that exists almost entirely cut off from the outside world.
Vincent pulls off a rare feat with this narrative: he keeps the reader guessing about what’s real and what isn’t until the very end. It’s tempting to think of Pyrite Ridge as an allegory, with the various characters and circumstances representing parts of the protagonist’s subconscious. It’s never made explicitly clear, but one interpretation of the events presented could be that Travis Sivart has suffered a break from reality. Some or all of what he’s experiencing could be projections created by his own mind.
Ultimately, though, whether that’s true or not becomes irrelevant. When something like the fragile beauty of this story is encountered, trying to explain or quantify it can only minimize the experience. It’s better to simply drift with the narrative and allow it to cast its spell without too much analysis to hinder it.
Pages: 365 | ASIN : B0CDDYN1VV
LITERARY TITAN 