The slope is patchier than I remembered. Eroding and worn out from the trampling of goats who probably moved on to more abundant pastures long ago.
Still, the unicorn could exist. In a remote place we haven’t yet been.
I keep climbing. Eventually I crest the peak and a breathtaking chain of Rockies comes into view, this immense crown of snow and stone, and lakes strewn below like gems.
Briefly, I see us all together, When We Were: Constance with her cherry lips and polka-dot bikini, sunbathing by the kidney-shaped motel pool. Henry at his easel, painting the mountain with me clinging to his side. Viv cannonballs off the diving board, splashing us. Liam is on the periphery, collecting fossils. My mother’s honeyed laughter erupts, we’re all laughing, and then the memory is gone.
Here I spread his ashes—what didn’t go in the Gatineau Hills and the little I put in Con’s suitcase, unknown to her—to mix with cloud and glacial silt.
I could stay for hours, finding solace in the tundra, the plays of grey and pink. But it’s time to head northward, to the place they both wanted to see. Up the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse—white horse—where daylight doesn’t end at this time of year.
Above the treeline I inhale, exhale, breathing clearly. The world slows down around me.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, this brilliance.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
One character in this novel was inspired by someone real. My great uncle, Theo Kunke, was a psychologist, world traveler, and art lover. His Amsterdam home resembled a museum. He was a passionate, loud, generous, and eccentric person. I wish I knew him longer before he died.
I would like to thank my wonderful agents, Samantha Haywood and Stephanie Sinclair, for their enthusiastic belief in my writing. I am also grateful to my editor, Janice Zawerbny, who took a chance on me, and whose invaluable suggestions greatly improved the story. Thank you to John Sweet for his masterful copyediting. And heartfelt thanks to the entire House of Anansi team, who made it all come true.
I am indebted to my family: Hans, Denise, and Nadine Berkhout, and Farhad Kazemzadeh (dooset daram azizam), for reading the first and last draft, and for their unfailing support. Thanks to Shawna Lemay, Ruth Linka, Tom Mack, and Joanne Reaves, who read the manuscript in its earliest form, and offered encouragement, too. And thank you to the National Gallery and its extraordinary collection that illuminates my every day.
There exist few scholarly publications on cryptozoology or unicorns. I would have been lost without the writings of Chad Arment, Loren Coleman, Bernard Heuvelmans, Chris Lavers, Willy Ley, Odell Shepard, Karl Shuker, and Scott Weidensaul. I am also appreciative of the advice received from the following experts: Dr. Kaiser Raja of BGS Global Hospitals; Debbie Dunn and Reina Fuller of Ontario Parks; Cheryl Mahyr of OFPS; and Judy Stilwell of Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation.
Finally, my deepest gratitude to R., most especially Brooke, Lyn, Paula, Ron, Shelley, Teri, and Wolf. I will never be able to properly communicate everything you have done for me. This book wouldn’t exist without you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NINA BERKHOUT is the author of five poetry collections, most recently Elseworlds, which won the 2013 Archibald Lampman Award. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, she now resides in Ottawa, Ontario, where she works at the National Gallery of Canada. This is her first novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
St. Martin’s Press ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraphs
Part One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Part Two
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thiry-Three
Chapter Thiry-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Part Three
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
THE GALLERY OF LOST SPECIES. Copyright © 2015 by Nina Berkhout.
All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.stmartins.com
Here: Stanza from poem “Spring Morning” by A. A. Milne. Source: Library and Archives Canada/When We Were Very Young/AMICUS 8963009/p. 34
Here: Excerpts from chapter “In which Piglet meets a Heffalump” by A. A. Milne. Source: Library and Archives Canada/Winnie the Pooh/AMICUS 970184/Chapter V
Here: Heuvelmans quote is from Cryptozoology, Volume 7, 1988
Here: Heuvelmans quote is from Bernard Heuvelmans, On the Track of Unknown Animals (Paladin Press, 1970), p. 17
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First published in Canada by House of Anansi Press Inc
First U.S. Edition: May 2016
eISBN 9781250085085
First eBook edition: May 2016
The Gallery of Lost Species Page 26