In a World Created by a Drunken God
Drew Hayden Taylor

Reviewed by Barb Radmore

What makes a parent?  That is the central question in Drew Hayden Taylor's drama In a World Created by a Drunken God.  Jason Pierce is in the middle of packing up his apartment. His latest girlfriend has just left him and he is moving back in with his mother. His mother is a Native (First Nation) woman living on a reservation at Otter Creek. As Jason eats raw macaroni from his Kraft box dinner and contemplates his piles of clothes left to pack, his work is disturbed by a visitor. The well dressed American claims to be Jason's half brother, the son of the man who fathered Jason but who has never been in touch. Harry brings a request from their father- the donation of a kidney. Without it he will die. Is Jason obligated to try to save this man, this man who abandoned him and his mother, who never admitted to Jason's existence until his own life depended on it?  It is on this pivotal point that Jason and Harry violently disagree.

This seemingly simple play examines the complex issues of family, culture and choices. This Canadian author and playwright has brought us face to face with the spirit of ourselves. It is impossible for the reader not to become a part of the basic story- what would we do in Jason's place. With a blend of humor and pathos Taylor looks at what makes us human.