The novel is a follow up to Mr. Boyden's award winning novel "Three
Days Road", recounting the histories and lives of two fictional
James Bay Cree families (The Birds and the Whiskeyjacks).
This latest novel centers on Will Bird, son of Xavier Bird, the
heroic soldier we were introduced to previously. The story comes to
live through two intertwined monologues. We follow Will's thoughts
while he recovers from a serious plane crash, a near death
encounter that has left him comatose in a hospital bed. Will is an
engaging storyteller, a bush pilot by trade and a charming
alcoholic by fate with many tales of adventure to tell, some a hoot
and some distressful to hear. Alternate chapters are narrated by
his niece Annie Bird while she sits in vigil by his bedside trying
to stimulate him back to the living. She uses the time to recount
her adventures in Toronto, Montreal and New York while in search of
her lost sister Suzanne.
These flashbacks create short stories in their lives, each one a
glimpse into the desolate forests that surround James Bay and the
all too similar affect the underground fashion world can have on
someone not accustom to the rat race of the big cities. Each layer
reveals secrets of violence, incompetence, kindness, love and
compassion.
The novel is hard to get into at first, the story launches quickly
into two narratives, each one hard to decipher which character is
talking and how the bits of information fit together. I gradually
immersed myself into the tale and once settle, let the story run
its course. I was drawn in by the vivid description of Canada's
vast wilderness and its inhabitants who call it home, the Cree. It
was an eye opener realizing the challenges and hardship native
people face in big cities where there is a multitude of cultures
all trying to survive. The characterization is powerful and the
players come across as genuine and loveable. Although the pacing is
very slow and the reading is tedious at times, in retrospect I
enjoyed the refreshing and informative look into another way of
life.