Through 9/10ths of the book, the story's plot takes place over the
span of an afternoon. Alexander MacDonald is visiting his eldest
brother, Calum, who lives in a one room apartment in the heart of
Toronto, and who is dependent on alcohol just to function. During
this visit, Alexander relates to the reader stories of the
immediate past and involving his immediate family. Interwoven in
this narrative are the stories of his immediate ancestors as well
as the the stories of Clan Donald.
This novel is about identity, and how identity is rooted in places
and memory, and suggests that this is universally true. It then
asks the question, if ones' ties to place and memory are broken,
what becomes of who we are? Peripherally, the book touches on the
idea of fate as well.
The storytelling is superb. With simple strokes, MacLeod is
nevertheless able to give life to these characters whom you will
grow attached to. As places play an important role in the novel,
MacLeod also works wonderfully with the settings, such as a small
region within Cape Breton, or the Queen St. W. district of Toronto,
or a mine in northern Ontario. These settings through MacLeod's pen
become non-human characters themselves. He's an exemplar of the
writer's addage: show, don't tell.
At the same time, this storytelling style admits a few weaknesses
in this instance. Firstly, it is difficult to find direct
references to the narrator's personality and motivations, and thus
it is hard to sympathize with Alexander MacDonald. At the same
time, however, this may be an intended effect, since the narrator
himself is an integral part of this exploration of identity.
Perhaps the distance and detachment we feel, is part of MacLeod's
thesis of the erosion of his identity.
Secondly, there are some scenes of conversations between the
narrator and his twin sister, which serves as a device for
exposition on Clan Donald history and legend, as well as hinting at
the sister's own struggle with identity. While I can't think of a
better way to do it, it was nonetheless, a weakness in the novel.
The exposition felt dry, and tired. But again, perhaps this was
intended.
Overall, another great book by a Canadian author.