On Friday, when I was thinking about what I wanted to write about this weekend, I planned to make a summary of books I have read/want to read that represent the different Canadian provinces and territories. Given that this is the Canada Day long weekend, it seemed like a timely topic. Apparently, my idea wasn't that unique, however. When I sat down to crack open this weekend's Globe and Mail I came across
this article, which basically does exactly what I was originally planning. The Globe actually polled authors from the respective regions as well, so the recommendations come with more authority than any of mine ever would.
That having been said, what the world needs is more lists! Maybe not, but I still love making them, and I want to forge ahead and summarize my cross Canada literary tour. My literary biases lie out East, thanks to my Nova Scotian roots. I will begin my list in the east and move westward, into less charted charted territory from my previous literary experience. If there is a particular gem that I have missed in this list, I would welcome further suggestions.
NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR:
So many books to choose from! I have three recommendations for books to read that all contain rich narratives, and compelling stories. Perhaps there is something in the water, that leaches the gift of story-telling out of the bedrock and into the pens of Newfoundland writers. All three of these books rank among my favourite novels, and there are others that I haven't included here that could put in a fighting chance as well.
The first book I'd suggest is:
A Colony of Unrequited Dreams, by Wayne Johnston. I originally encountered this book in it's audio form actually, about seven or eight years ago when CBC had a fantastic evening program called "Between the Covers." It was featured during the summer, and I remember crawling in bed, pulling up my sheets and becoming positively engrossed in the tale of Joey Smallwood and Fielding. The written version is of course just as good, and allows you time to better catch the cutting remarks and nuances woven into the relationship between Fielding and Smallwood.
For a peak into St. John's, I recommend
The Long Run, by Leo Furey. Briefly, it is the story about a group of young boys at a Catholic orphanage in the city. It is laugh out loud funny despite some darker moments, and it is one of the most heartwarming stories of friendship and camaraderie I have read. I think it is a hidden gem.
Years ago I read
Random Passage, by Bernice Morgan and I was completely engrossed in the characters, who were leaving Ireland and settling in Newfoundland. It captured my imagination for months after finishing it. There is also a TV movie version of the book, which suggests that I wasn't the only one who loved the epic tale of love, family, and the age-old struggle between humans and nature.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND:
If L.M. Montgomery hasn't made it your nightstand at some point, it is worth picking one of her novels to read. I'm partial to
Emily of New Moon, but the obvious all time classic is
Anne of Green Gables. For my list of recommendations however, I am going to select a book that I personally haven't read, but that my mum and grandmother both speak of very highly,
The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Volume 1: 1889 - 1910. The journal format strays a bit from all of the other novel suggestions, but I think there is no better way to learn about an era than through a first hand account. Montgomery is a gifted writer, and I have no doubt that the female perspective she sheds on late Victorian era life would be engrossing. There are actually five volumes in this series, and my mum read them all voraciously. The time and editing that would have gone into compiling these journals must have been enormous, but I think it shines through in the final product.
NOVA SCOTIA
The Mountain and the Valley, Ernest Buckler. This book is on my "must read" list. I have been told by many others that it is an engrossing novel, and I can think of no greater place to set a story than the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia. I completed my family medicine rotation in medical school there during the summertime, and it is really one of the most incredible places in the world. There is a town called Paradise, Nova Scotia, where my grandmother's family is originally from, and it couldn't be more aptly named. It is warm, lush, green and pastoral. The sunsets on the Bay of Fundy look like those in Santorini, Greece. The most incredible thing though, is how untouched so much of the area remains.
Each Man's Son, by Hugh MacLennan was one of the books I read in grade twelve English class. I can't remember the reason for picking it in particular, but I recall loving the book. I think it is one of MacLennan's less commonly read novels; he is best known for
Two Solitudes, which I would like to read, but have not done so yet. Another pick from this Nova Scotian novelist is
Barometer Rising, which takes place in the days before the Halifax Explosion. There was a great sense of place in Each Man's Son, and I remember coming across particular names of characters, such as grocers, who I believe really were people MacLennan knew from his time in the city. Of course there is the wonderful juxtaposition of the city against the rural Cape Breton life within the novel too. I liked viewing my hometown through the historical lens, which makes place feel as important as character development.
NEW BRUNSWICK
Perhaps I am selecting another obvious suggestion here but when I think of New Brunswick literature I automatically think of David Adams Richards. I read
The Lost Highway with my bookclub several years ago, and although it was not among my favourite novels, Richards has a very haunting voice when he writes that stays with you. I have placed
Mercy Among the Children on my list, as a book I would like to read. I will save it for a time when I don't mind reading a novel with dark and heavy themes - it is not meant for a light weekend read. It is the best known of Richards' novels, and it split the Giller Prize jury the year it won - the other half siding with Ondaatje's
Anil's Ghost.
QUEBEC
One of my favourites -
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, by Mordecai Richler - is not to be missed. Duddy is one of most interesting characters I have ever come across. He is infuriating at times, and he is so flawed, but I think that's why I liked him so much in the end. Richler is gifted at creating protagonists whose character flaws become their own undoing. I really don't feel informed enough to properly critically appraise his work, but I can vouch that this is a wonderful book. I also loved the movie adaptation of
Barney's Version, which has me now reading the novel (not the proper way to go about it but better late than never). Did you know that in the movie they changed the setting at the start of the novel from Paris to Rome because the Italians just love Barney? I think that is so funny! There were some purists who didn't like that change apparently, but I say let them have that indulgence. I would also add Barney's Version to any list of novels that include the theme of memory loss. It is one of the brilliant tools in the novel, and makes my heart ache for Barney.
I also like the summary for Nikolski, by Nicholas Dickner within the Globe article, and would include that in my list as one "to read."
ONTARIO
I have included
Cat's Eye, by Margaret Atwood as a suggestion for the cross-Canada literary tour. There are a number of Atwood's novels that are set in Ontario, but I think Cat's Eye is one that actually evokes a sense of place. It explores the interesting dynamic of female relationships through childhood and into adulthood. The dynamics of the relationships among teenage girls are complex, and not often a topic of adult literature. This book captures how those complexities can damage and shape an individual as they move through their formative years. I really loved the description of the protagonist's memories of trips to Northern Ontario with her parents as a child. Everything is so simple when you are young; it is curious that we often shed so much of our childhood in order to fit into the adolescent and adult world.
If evoking Ontario is less important, I recommend
Alias Grace. It is my favourite of Atwood's novels and I recall lying in bed late into the night unable to put it down. It is historical fiction and mystery crafted to perfection.
The next two novels remain in my "to read" pile.
In the Skin of the Lion, Michael Ondaatje was painstakingly researched by the author. He channels Toronto in the 1940's in this novel, and although this is one of his works I haven't read, I suspect that his poetic prose is at it's finest.
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, by Stephen Leacock is a book that has sat on my bookshelf, with the intention of being read for several years now. I really have no excuse; it's short, it's funny, it's Canadian, but I haven't read it yet. I think it should be included in the list, as it is quite iconic and from my understanding it remains relevant in many ways.
MANITOBA
A Complicated Kindness, by Miriam Toews is a beautiful story about a young girl growing up in a Mennonite community in Manitoba. She longs to escape to New York, and break free from the trappings of her strict community. Her family is fragmented and divided between those who shed the religious rules and those who hold it sacred. The voice of the protagonist is somewhat like a female, Canadian Holden Caufield. Maybe it's not the most flattering portrayal of Manitoba, but I loved the insular world of the Mennonite community as a setting for a novel.
SASKATCHEWAN
Who has seen the Wind, by W.O. Mitchell has sat next to Stephen Leacock on my bookshelf for about as long. I keep meaning to read this but life and other stuff has happened? What a flimsy excuse. It's my top pick for a prairie novel by a Saskatchewan author. Now that I'm living here I really have no excuse.
I could also slide Farley Mowat into the Saskatchewan category. His novel, Owls in the Family, was one of the books we read in grade four and it was a great children's novel. It's set in Saskatoon, but I really only remember the children moving away at the end to Toronto. We got to dissect owl pellets (ie. regurgitated dried out owl vomit) as a class project when we read the book. There were all sorts of tiny mice bones and fur. This doesn't really tell you anything about the novel, but you can forgive me because I was too busy dissecting owl pellets to pay attention to anything we were reading.
ALBERTA
Confessional time - when I reach Alberta I am unable to think of any book that I have read or have been planning to read about this province. Second confession - the same is true for British Columbia. How can this be? I am definitely missing something. These are two huge provinces that seem ripe with material. I'll just blame the east coast microcosm I was living in for years.
But in all seriousness, I was a bit stumped with these last two. I've resorted to reading around to make my selections for my list, but they do feel a bit arbitrary. For Alberta, I have selected one of the novels that was listed in the Globe and Mail article,
Green Grass, Running Water, by Thomas King.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
I have yet to read any Douglas Copeland, but perhaps he is the best pick for the penultimate stop on my pan-Canadian literary tour. The novel I have heard the most about, and been curious about is
Hey Nostradamus!
This novel is set in Vancouver, written by a Vancouver author, and weaves together narratives from several different characters (a device I tend to enjoy). I get the sense that there are larger themes at play, and perhaps place is less central to his writing, but I am not sure.
I have a collection of short stories by Emily Carr given to me by my grandmother that perhaps deserve an obvious place on this list. Just to mix it up, I've included an
Emily Carr painting rather than a cover image. It must have been daunting trying to capture the enormous landscapes of British Columbia on a canvas.
THE YUKON, NORTHWEST AND NUNAVUT TERRITORIES
The Globe was much better at finding selections for each of the territories, but I have to admit I know very little about literature from the Northern territories, and feel at a loss for even knowing where to start. As a result, in a somewhat lazy fashion, I have clumped the three territories together and selected one book.
Although Farley Mowat is not from the territories, he invested a great deal of time there and played an important role in bringing Northern Canada to majority of the population in the southern latitudes. I have picked
Never Cry Wolf as my book to highlight the Canadian territories. CBC used to broadcast a movie adaptation of the novel when I was a kid that was enthralling. I still remember a scene with the protagonist cooking mice in the snow.
I still have some work to do in completing all of the reading on my list. Now that I'm living out west it is time to explore some of the novels from the Pacific Coast and Prairies more. Given that it is a long weekend, now is not a bad time to start.
