A vigorous picture of life near "James Bay in the Arctic Lowlands
of Ontario" distinguishes this second novel from the Canadian-born
author (Three Day Road, 2005).The book, which was awarded Canada's
prestigious Giller Prize, begins unevenly, with a setup much too
reminiscent of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient: a history
"dreamed" by Cree Indian bush pilot Will Bird, as he lies comatose
in a hospital bed, and juxtaposed with the story recalled by Will's
niece Annie, keeping a vigil beside him, of her southward journey
to seek her missing younger sister Suzanne, a runaway who became a
successful fashion model and "party girl." Boyden ends it even more
awkwardly, with a semi-surprising disclosure about a crime that
still pursues Will, and a concluding reconciliation that's
improbable and sentimental. Between these extremes, the book is
frequently energized by visionary splendor and raw emotional force.
Annie is a fantastically observed character. A tough, vibrant
woman, she's sustained by an increasingly loving relationship with
her withdrawn "protector" Gordon and is unafraid to enter the
worlds of narcotic and sexual excess that appear to have claimed
Suzanne. Alas, the Manhattan scenes too often read like inert chick
lit. Fortunately, the story is redeemed by Boyden's rich portrayal
of the stoical Will, most fully realized in a subtly fragmented
account of Will's arduous stay on a remote island (Akimiski), where
wind and weather stalk him as relentlessly as do his old enemies -
and his only companions are an elderly settler couple who seem to
possess an almost mystical knowledge of his history, marauding
polar bears and, in a brilliantly resonating image, a whale
skeleton that washed up out of the bay.Though the forced, contrived
plot almost submerges the novel, the sensuous apprehension of a
distant, perilous, ineffably beautiful world draws us in and won't
let us go. (Kirkus Reviews)
From internationally acclaimed author Joseph Boyden comes a
powerful novel about two native Canadian sisters and the forces
that pull them apart. Fifteen years after the death of their
patriarch, the Bird Clan finds itself struggling to survive on the
hardscrabble reservation they call home. On Christmas Day, the
youngest of the clan, Suzanne, leaves with her boyfriend Gus
Netmaker, against both families' wishes, hoping to find purpose and
a better life in Toronto. When word from Suzanne and Gus suddenly
ceases, the Netmakers and Birds fear the worst and tensions between
the two families escalate to violent levels. Suzanne's sister Annie
decides to search for them, leaving behind their uncle Will, a man
haunted by loss. While Annie travels from Toronto to New York, from
modeling studios to A-list parties, Will encounters dire troubles
at home. Both eventually come to painful discoveries about the
inescapable ties of family.
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