Afterthought on a Fringe gem

Bookworm
By Corin Raymond

Who would think that a one-hour dramatic monologue about books by a guy who looks like a truck driver could bring tears to your eyes—but that’s what happened for me at the last performance of Bookworm, the final show of the Victoria Fringe Festival of 2012.
Corin Raymond likes to say he’s a singer-songwriter who lives with his books in Toronto. He admits to having three or four thousand of them, all of which he’s read, some many times. His love for books—their feel, look and the sound of their words in his mouth—was instilled in Raymond by his father, a bibliophile, teacher and “secret actor.”
Raymond’s unabashed passion for books and affection for his father brought the entire audience to its feet, roaring approval. It’s no surprise that Bookworm was named a “Pick of the Fringe.” Catch it in Vancouver if you can.

Reviewed by Joy Fisher, a fourth-year student in UVic’s Writing Program