A captivating, magical journey of intertwined cultures.
By David Campiche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 30, 2023
In 1890s British Columbia, a scout of Indigenous lineage is tasked with tracking a White fugitive whom he once mentored. Dan Skinner, 34, and his younger brother André are on the run after André killed a man in a brawl. The posse of lawmen hunting them is led by Tom LaCross, the very scout who once tutored Dan in the wilderness. In an accident, most of the lawmen lose their footing and fall to their deaths; the remaining one shoots and kills André. Tom prevents him from killing Dan, but is then lured into a pit of wood spikes by Dan, who believes Tom has a gun. Ten Native men step into the firelight, changing the fates of both men. Rebecca, Dan’s wife, launches a search party, resulting in a joyful reunion, followed by staggering loss.
Parallel to this narrative, Campiche also follows environmentalist Katherine Skinner in the 1990s. The author has crafted a lyrical commentary on and celebration of the Pacific Northwest wilderness and the struggles of the human characters that he places within it. The Dan/Tom tracking sequence is a particular tour de force, as the wilderness melds with the men’s inner dreams and demons. While the intercuts to Katherine’s story are at times jarring, Campiche also marvelously subverts expectations several times in his unspooling narrative.
Pub Date: March 30, 2023
ISBN: 9781039141452
Page Count: 420
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2023