Twelve-year-old Alex Revelstoke is different. He can see diseases, injuries and anything else wrong with the human body. The skill comes in handy when a classmate chokes on a hot dog or when the school janitor suffers a heart attack.
While the youth is fictional in a recently released book called The Antidote, his name is based on our city.
| The new book can be purchased on Amazon. (Contributed) |
Seattle-based author Susan McCormick said many years ago she was in Canada, visiting national parks. During the trip, she got stuck in a horrendous traffic jam on Highway 1 near Revelstoke. As the car inched forward, McCormick said she was mesmerized by the mountains and rivers.
“There was so much magic. It was so beautiful,” she said.
READ MORE: Cafe opens in U.S. named Revelstoke Coffee
When she needed a name for the character of her new book, she picked Revelstoke.
“It’s an outstandingly cool name and has always been stuck in my brain.”
The city was named by the Canadian Pacific Railway in appreciation of Lord Revelstoke, who helped save the railway from bankruptcy in 1885 by buying the company’s unsold bonds.
McCormick is a gastroenterologist, which is a doctor that treats problems in the gastrointestinal tract and liver.
McCormick said she use to volunteer at a school, helping with chicken wing dissections for biology class. At the time, the middle-school youths were obsessed with the Percy Jackson series and Greek mythology.
McCormick said she wanted to write a book that could get kids excited about the human body.
“As a way for kids to learn about health.”
READ MORE: Artists explore perspective and healing in latest exhibition at Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre
Not only is the main character named after our city, but the story takes place in Revelstoke. In the book, Alex visits our community to visit his grandfather, who in the story, is a local doctor. While gathering research for her book, McCormick thought our medical communitywould be small, but instead found it thriving.
“I had to change the story a bit because of the excellent medical care in Revelstoke,” she said.
The Antidote can be found on Amazon. Other books by McCormick include The Fog Ladies cozy murder mystery series and Granny Can’t Remember Me, a lighthearted picture book about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:
jocelyn.doll@revelstokereview.com
@RevelstokeRevue
editor@revelstoketimesreview.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
