Date of Award

6-2025

Document Type

Thesis (Master's)

Department or Program

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

First Advisor

Saul Lelchuk

Second Advisor

Tom Zoellner

Third Advisor

Barbara Kreiger

Abstract

“All Things Pass Away” is a work of crime fiction. Set amidst the downfall of local print journalism, laid off sportswriter Mark McGinnis travels from Rochester, New York to the oil boomtown of Fort McMurray, Alberta to pursue a freelancing project on troubled NHL draft prospect Noah Jeannot. Once there, McGinnis’s profile on the player is thrown into question when Jeannot disappears after an apparent violent altercation near his billet family’s home. Exploring themes of nostalgia, ambition, and obsession, the novella traces McGinnis’s attempts to understand not only the culture of the twin gods – oil and hockey – which rule the town but also the various suspects within it, each with a vested interest in Jeannot’s career. Finding himself enmeshed in the investigation, McGinnis’s efforts to produce a cohesive story are thwarted in a landscape riddled with self-interest – that is, until he learns to play their game. In doing so, he discovers the myriad ways in which one’s past remains a part of them, only capable of being overcome through the crucible of experience, introspection, and re-invention.

Download

Included in

Fiction Commons

Share

COinS