Joseph Boyden is another of those young authors - such as, just to name three, Emily St. John Mandel, David Mitchell, and Adam Johnson - who seem unimaginably wise beyond their years in addition to having the increasingly rare ability to write beautifully and compellingly. Permit me to observe that I've researched, written, and directed research and writing for close to five decades: I understand the process, and I understand how to spin the quotidian collection of research details into literary art. But how, in Boyden's case, a young author is able to convey us backward nearly a century to serve as our uncommonly well-informed guide on a harrowing descent into a heart of trench-warfare darkness through the eyes of narrators from an almost wholly lost world is beyond my ken.... It's not simply written-up research strained through the filter of a keen literary sensibility. To me, it seems closer to a skilled conjurer's pure magic.It's that combination - an extremely well-researched, detailed, and hence credible World War I narrative, of which there are many, into which Boyden has woven the world of the Cree First Nation, in thick, anthropological description that simply unfolds in the natural course of narrative exposition, as Boyden needs it, never intrusively, never "bolted on," sometimes floating mysteriously to the surface for a moment, then submerging, to be illuminated later in the story. Boyden will not be rushed, will not disclose all he knows in bursts of framing narrative, will answer no question before its full ripeness. He simply lets his marvelous characters...be. As they might be observed had we stumbled across them in the wilderness of Northern Ontario or the trenches of Passchendaele. And in their words, and thoughts, and dreams, and behaviors, and memories their world unfolds gradually.Readers should discover the pleasures of this story without intrusive coaching or signposts for what they should be looking for. But just a few words about the central characters that I hope might entire readers to crack this novel: The hopscotch dual-first-person narrative jumps across time and place and back again, relating events in real time, or in dreams, in memory, in the fog of drugs or alcohol or sweat-lodge visions. First to speak is the Ojibwa-Cree medicine woman Niska, followed by her nephew, the silent, stolid Bush-Cree Xavier Bird. Frequently the subject of their narration is the essential third man, with whom Xavier volunteers for service and who comes to dominate the story: the Mission-School educated Elijah Whiskeyjack, whose edgy likability, command of languages, knowledge of how to seem, affinity for risk, and primal desire for glory and recognition as a warrior hero provide - along with the journey home traveled by Niska and Xavier - the principal thrust to Boyden's compelling, slowly unfolding narrative. As for the supporting players, we know some of these from Central Casting - the wise, battle-hardened corporal, the ever-calm stern-but-sympathetic sergeant (I envision countless broad, tall movie sergeants, in red coats with chevrons gleaming, with handlebar mustaches beneath helmets of blindingly white pith, pacing slowly behind assembled lines of riflemen, murmuring, "Steady, lads. Steady.") who appreciates the particular genius of the Cree privates early on, the despicably bigoted lieutenant who stirs in an element of narrative tension with every appearance. But Boyden is a skillful writer whose soldiers retain the capacity to surprise, who seem drawn from life rather than from cardboard. Others, whom we do not recognize as stock, such as the mysterious French trapper with whom Niska has a defining encounter, are novel, and remarkable, creations.It's probably useful to know that a significant part of Boyden's research involved exploring the military career of Francis Pegahmagabow, WWI's most decorated First Nations soldier, who, like the novel's two Cree protagonists, was a skilled hunter-scout-sniper. In addition to the insights into the life, culture, and experiences of First Nation recruits that Boyden has incorporated into the text, Perahmagabow turns up, repeatedly, first a rumor and later a legend, as the "Indian sniper Peggy" against whom Elijah ...well, never mind. And as for Boyden's characterization of trench warfare, I found it wholly and devastatingly convincing, all the way down to the textures of trench mud and water and rot, all well integrated into the story, to include imagined first-hand accounts of historical victories by Canadian arms in the Great War as well as detailed first-person observations of sights, and sounds, and smells of warfare. It goes almost without saying that Three Day Road might stand alone as one of the great war, and anti-war, novels yet written.I know of nothing else that combines so many strange, beautiful, and disturbing elements to so magical and compelling an effect, to create a novel both terrifying and moving, in which, to my mind, there is neither wrong step nor false note. A remarkable literary debut from an author who has entered my list of "read everything s/he writes."
Linking Cree hunting stories with World War I frontline accounts would seem an odd undertaking, to say the least. The wild Canadian North with its harsh yet beautiful landscape and tough living conditions for those surviving off the land is a far cry - physically and spiritually - from the trenches and the killing fields of Ypres and the Somme. Yet, Boyden has successfully merged these seemingly disparate themes through his telling of the life stories of the three protagonists: Xavier, Elijah and Niska. The two young friends, looking for adventure, joined the war effort while Niska carries on her life as the last Oji-Cree medicine woman. The story is told from different perspectives, moving backwards and forwards in time. The outcome is an engrossing narrative that interweaves the disturbing description of WWI horrors in the trenches with the rich and multifaceted recollections of the protagonists' lives and their emotions and experiences of the past."Taking the Three Day Road", the traditional Cree reference to dying, takes on new meaning here, both literally and spiritually. The journey home in Niska's canoe through the lush forests and on the winding river provides the backdrop to her efforts to bring one of the friends home, physically and mentally deeply wounded. Her personal recollections and stories of their past lives are set against the nightmarish dreaming of the returning soldier. Will Niska be able to soothe the mind, will the medicine be strong enough to heal him from the agony of war?The two young Cree started out with eagerness to fight in the war, having honed their tracking and shooting skills in the bush killing animals for food and ceremony. Their very different characters emerge clearly as they leave the familiar territory. As they began their journey, their friendship helped them to complement each others strength to get through numerous challenges, such as the language barrier, their inexperience in urban and barrack life, the discrimination facing them. As their talent as trackers and snipers are increasingly recognized by their superiors, despite their prejudice against Indians, the two are sent on increasingly daring missions. Their reputation grows as they take out more enemy snipers than anybody else. Xavier and Elijah respond very differently to the pressure and violence. One hates his role on the killing fields and is retreating into himself, the other is thriving on the experience and the attention he garners. Their friendship is seriously tested and the tension between them reaches breaking point. How can they salvage the friendship that they had? How can they survive in the hell of the trenches? How do they cope with loosing their comrades and being wounded themselves? Will they be able to reconcile the upbringing on the land, guided by Niska, with the brutality of their war experiences?Boyden is an outstanding story teller and his skill of creating realistic and lively personalities is admirable. This not only applies to the three protagonists, but also to several of their comrades and their superiors. Boyden establishes a wide-ranging portrait of the people and the extreme conditions they were exposed to during this war. It is evident that that author undertook extensive research into the intricate details of WWI war fare. It can easily stand among the best of its kind. The author adds additional depth through Niska's story, connecting the reader intimately to Cree culture and mythology. Niska's voice stays with you for a long time. Despite the topic, this is a beautifully written, memorable book.I read this book in 2006, but never posted a review on GR. So here it is.
What do You think about Three Day Road (2006)?
It is clear that an impressive amount of research went into writing this novel. The setting, the characters, the language and personalities, all of it seemed meticulously researched. All of it was presented with such care and attention to detail. It made each character and each setting come to life. This alone makes the book worth a read for anyone interested. The writing style was creative, though it took a while to get used to. I remember being afraid to lose my place in the story while reading because trying to figure out where you left off would have been a nightmare. But the fluidity added a surreal aspect to the story that was very engaging towards the end. The actual story itself didn't blow me away. As a character study, it was pretty standard. You have the windigo (aka the bat****crazy person) theme that you know will play a prominent role in the story's end. The two main characters, X and Elijah, are along the same vein as Pi and Richard Parker from the Life of Pi, or any other take on the classic Jerkell/Hyde theme. Overall, good book, worth the read.
—Chimere Ukasoanya
This put of vice grip on my heart and didn't let go. I'm not gonna lie, I cried on the second page, on the last page, and on a bunch of other pages in between. Though the story is loosely based on the experiences of Francis Pegahmagabow, a decorated Ojibway sniper in WWI, "Peggy" himself only makes a cameo. Our protagonists are two boys from Mushkegowuk (James Bay, northern Ontario), foils and mirrors for each other, two sides of the same coin, both in how they were brought up and in how they cope with their work as soldiers. I've never read accounts of trench warfare that felt as real as this in terms of the pacing and details. I've also never read anything that made the transition of communities from "bush indian" to "homeguard indian" so clear - what that actually meant in a physical sense of sustenance and location. What being a hunter means. I loved the nearly silent narrator, Xavier Bird, and the interplay of Cree and English in his world. Niska's stories anchored everything, brought reality to a past of living off the land that is too often only painted in romanticized broad strokes. Her chosen-ness, as medicine woman and windigo-killer tie her to the widening divide between the two boys she raised as they kill their way through the brutality of trench warfare. There are many layers of irony and pain here. The irony of using the skill of a hunter to kill humans. The irony of being valued by white people for skills acquired in the bush, even as that way of life is actively decimated. The irony of rewarding a soldier for his kills - but fearing the soldier that has too much talent, that likes to kill too much. The irony teaching your best friend everything only to be disregarded and surpassed. Yet despite all of this, Three Day Road is a beautiful book. Xavier and Elijah, X and Whiskeyjack, Little Bird Dancer and Weesageechak - whatever you call them this pair burrowed into me and stayed there, and their pain is as heart-wrenching as anything I've read. I want a different ending so bad, it really aches. The allotted healing that takes place comes at too terrible a cost.
—Maayan K
5 starsI'm not sure I've read any other books inspired by the First World War, but I am sure Joseph's story is different than anything else ever written. Agreed, I was slow to get TO it (heard him read first chapter in Whistler 2007), and to really get into it, but oh -- when I did, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!I read this, for the most part, on the beach while vacationing in Mexico. I couldn't help but react out loud: his battle scenes, e.g., are so vivid, chilling. But saying that simplifies what is really a gripping, epic tale; storytelling at its best.It won the 2005 McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year; was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, and went on to become a #1 National Bestseller.I don't want to spoil the story, so I will simply say:"highly recommended". But, if you plan to read Through Black Spruce (Winner of the ScotiaGiller Prize), hold off, and read this book first. "You'll be glad you did." :)
—Bonnie
