From Sir Thomas Browne to Seamus Heaney, the quincunx has been both a device and a structure in the English literary tradition. More than this, it has mathematical, agricultural, and mystical meanings from which, I believe, the literary use sprang.
Andre Alexis' use of the quincunx in his series of the same name seems to encompass all this in a challenging non-trivial way. Having read only the first and second books, Pastorale and Fifteen Dogs, I'm intrigued to explore further into the depth of the series.
If only the Ottawa Public Library offered digital copies, I'd be doing that now.
