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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Crummey does a masterful job storytelling in this novel about a young brother and sister orphaned in a remote cove off Newfoundland's northern shore in the late (?) 1700s. They take up the hard work of their parents, mostly fishing for cod which they barter with harsh shipmaster each fall for a few food staples to see them through till the following spring when the ship will return. The most impressive feat of writing, even beyond the exemplary recreation of the era, including the language with its peculiar idioms and lilt, is the fact the story is essentially episodic. Beyond the question of whether Evered (eleven when the story begins) and his sister Ada (yes, a play on Adam & Eve), two years younger, will survive, there is no mystery to be chased down (the unknown grave near their home didn't suffice) or other outer conflict. So I found the gripping narrative tension to work well simply because of the tremendous writing, an evocative spell.
The minor quibbles I had were that I actually had to read a review of the book early on because it wasn't clear to me what era this story took place in. In that regard, it's worth noting that the story mostly proceeds by a close third-person POV, alternating between the brother and sister. Since they are both "innocents", entirely sheltered from the outside world by their isolation and youth, they don't name the date or their geographical location (they can't). I would have preferred a caption at the outset of the story along the lines of "17xx, Newfoundland's northern shore" rather than having to suss that out through my own research.
All in all, a remarkable work of historical fiction and the fact that it lost the Giller Prize to the novel Reproduction is scandalous. This book will be a legacy.
The minor quibbles I had were that I actually had to read a review of the book early on because it wasn't clear to me what era this story took place in. In that regard, it's worth noting that the story mostly proceeds by a close third-person POV, alternating between the brother and sister. Since they are both "innocents", entirely sheltered from the outside world by their isolation and youth, they don't name the date or their geographical location (they can't). I would have preferred a caption at the outset of the story along the lines of "17xx, Newfoundland's northern shore" rather than having to suss that out through my own research.
All in all, a remarkable work of historical fiction and the fact that it lost the Giller Prize to the novel Reproduction is scandalous. This book will be a legacy.
Raw Historical Fiction of Sibling Survival
Review of the Doubleday Canada hardcover edition (August 2019)
Review of the Doubleday Canada hardcover edition (August 2019)
4.5 stars
Haunting. Beautiful and terrible.
The story of young orphaned children surviving in remote Newfoundland, relying on lessons from their parents, and the twice annual visit from The Hope (enterprising ship), they manage to muddle their way through to adulthood, even as they remain children.
Beyond the brother and sister, place is the third main character, as is true with so many great novels from and about Newfoundland. Each day that passes in the novel might be boring in that it’s the same, but harrowing in that daily life is game of work or perish.
A worthy read that is also a pit in your stomach.
Dreary.
And stunning.
Haunting. Beautiful and terrible.
The story of young orphaned children surviving in remote Newfoundland, relying on lessons from their parents, and the twice annual visit from The Hope (enterprising ship), they manage to muddle their way through to adulthood, even as they remain children.
Beyond the brother and sister, place is the third main character, as is true with so many great novels from and about Newfoundland. Each day that passes in the novel might be boring in that it’s the same, but harrowing in that daily life is game of work or perish.
A worthy read that is also a pit in your stomach.
Dreary.
And stunning.
Well, this is a dark one.
I didn't find it an easy read, especially the hunting parts and it was deeply chilling; but this doesn't mean I didn't like it.
I liked it.
But it's tough and disturbing.
Crummy is an excellent writer however.
I didn't find it an easy read, especially the hunting parts and it was deeply chilling; but this doesn't mean I didn't like it.
I liked it.
But it's tough and disturbing.
Crummy is an excellent writer however.
Very grim. Excellent writing. But what is the story being told?
Clearly, the children’s limited exposure to the outside world still spoils their own innocence, as they worry without parental guidance about shame and disgrace. Is the story a reminder of how commonly people bring each other down? Or about how the absence of healthy parenting is what limits the value of our lives?
There is an interesting turn at the end, as the brother takes on the responsibility to insure that their next generation is cared for better than he was.
Clearly, the children’s limited exposure to the outside world still spoils their own innocence, as they worry without parental guidance about shame and disgrace. Is the story a reminder of how commonly people bring each other down? Or about how the absence of healthy parenting is what limits the value of our lives?
There is an interesting turn at the end, as the brother takes on the responsibility to insure that their next generation is cared for better than he was.
4 stars - One star taken away from the very abrupt ending that was deeply unsatisfying, plus a few boring parts!
So, basically this was the premise of the movie, "The Blue Lagoon" - but based in Newfoundland. I believe in the 1800s.
So, yes, let me answer the question we all ask as soon as we think about that movie: is there an incestuous relationship? Answer: Yes.
However, this book was so much more than that. It's about 2 siblings trying to survive in a harsh land, especially in the winter. It is fascinating to me how they lived their lives, alone, marking the (yearly?) passage of time where their only interaction with the outside world is with the ship (ironically? Maybe purposefully) called, The Hope. It really shows how much they are trying to make a connection. The book goes into great depth to explain how little they actually talk to each other - Ada actually spends most of her time talking to her dead infant sister. Yes, incest is yucky. It wasn't super descriptive though. I am fascinated by stories of survival, and this is a really good one....
So, basically this was the premise of the movie, "The Blue Lagoon" - but based in Newfoundland. I believe in the 1800s.
So, yes, let me answer the question we all ask as soon as we think about that movie: is there an incestuous relationship? Answer: Yes.
However, this book was so much more than that. It's about 2 siblings trying to survive in a harsh land, especially in the winter. It is fascinating to me how they lived their lives, alone, marking the (yearly?) passage of time where their only interaction with the outside world is with the ship (ironically? Maybe purposefully) called, The Hope. It really shows how much they are trying to make a connection. The book goes into great depth to explain how little they actually talk to each other - Ada actually spends most of her time talking to her dead infant sister. Yes, incest is yucky. It wasn't super descriptive though. I am fascinated by stories of survival, and this is a really good one....
A very good read by a Canadian author. Survival, isolation and growing up quick are the themes in this book. Set in Newfoundland many (~150ish?) years ago, when each day was a struggle for survival. A story of siblings making due with what they were taught at a young age. Only knowing what happens on the cove, and the rest of the world a fairy tale they hear from the infrequent strangers arriving by a boat with their provisions for the year as well as to pay off their debts with the fish they collected over the summer. Very graphic at times, and occasionally inappropriate for some readers, but would definitely recommend, and will keep Michael Crummey as a go to author in the future.
I was sucked in by the reviews of this book and while I can agree that the writing is brilliant in this story about a brother and sister, orphaned young and forced to survive together in Newfoundland, i struggled with this audiobook. This isn’t a book that has a huge plot, which sometimes can work and it might appeal to some readers more than others, but it felt quite continuous as the story went on and there were times when I felt my mind wander a little.
This book deals with Evered (then 12) and his sister Ada (then 10) who lose their baby sister, their mother and their father in quick succession, and are forced to grow up isolated naive to the world that shrinks to just for themselves. From this perspective I thought the book was very well done, as the title suggests the siblings are innocent to the world, Ada is shocked and scared when she starts to bleed between her legs, Evered feels the pressure of providing for them both and on the page both struggle with how they feel, who they are and the pressure to be an adult while feeling very much like a child. You feel that isolation and pressure on the page.
My problem with this book though is that primarily it’s about sexual maturity (or rather immaturity) and ultimately incest, which is a hard subject to just surprise your audience with. The scenes of their want, touching, and even him taking his sister’s virginity, are an uncomfortable read! especially when not prepared. Yes Evered is a teenage boy but I would say 80-90% of his character revolves around sex and while Ada does come across very confused and innocent, he comes across more stupid - near the end of the book his sexual possessiveness ends with him nearly raping his own sister until she breaks through his crazed desire and manages to push him away, injuring herself in the process. I found him unlikeable at times, which I suppose is to be expected as he doesn’t understand himself either, but he is either fuelled by guilt, desire or possessiveness throughout the book. Brother and sister become the only real people they knew - their parents. Other characters are introduced but they don’t take the story in any direction, they just help feed the characters for a while.
I also struggled with the hunting scenes which I felt didn’t need to be as dragged out as they were, again I appreciate that the animals killed acted as some representation of the characters struggles also, but the scene where a mother bear is shot and then her cub shot first in one eye and then in the other as it screamed, before they leave it motherless, blind and vulnerable and crying in pain, was uncomfortable and upsetting and drawn out. Likewise the scene with the fox. I get that hunting will feature in a book like this but didn’t appreciate the need to make the animals suffer.
Ultimately while I appreciated the writing, I found this book quite hard work both in pace and content which was either uncomfortable or just quite dismal. I can see what Crummey was trying to achieve, it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook - and for the narrator for the accents!
This book deals with Evered (then 12) and his sister Ada (then 10) who lose their baby sister, their mother and their father in quick succession, and are forced to grow up isolated naive to the world that shrinks to just for themselves. From this perspective I thought the book was very well done, as the title suggests the siblings are innocent to the world, Ada is shocked and scared when she starts to bleed between her legs, Evered feels the pressure of providing for them both and on the page both struggle with how they feel, who they are and the pressure to be an adult while feeling very much like a child. You feel that isolation and pressure on the page.
My problem with this book though is that primarily it’s about sexual maturity (or rather immaturity) and ultimately incest, which is a hard subject to just surprise your audience with. The scenes of their want, touching, and even him taking his sister’s virginity, are an uncomfortable read! especially when not prepared. Yes Evered is a teenage boy but I would say 80-90% of his character revolves around sex and while Ada does come across very confused and innocent, he comes across more stupid - near the end of the book his sexual possessiveness ends with him nearly raping his own sister until she breaks through his crazed desire and manages to push him away, injuring herself in the process. I found him unlikeable at times, which I suppose is to be expected as he doesn’t understand himself either, but he is either fuelled by guilt, desire or possessiveness throughout the book. Brother and sister become the only real people they knew - their parents. Other characters are introduced but they don’t take the story in any direction, they just help feed the characters for a while.
I also struggled with the hunting scenes which I felt didn’t need to be as dragged out as they were, again I appreciate that the animals killed acted as some representation of the characters struggles also, but the scene where a mother bear is shot and then her cub shot first in one eye and then in the other as it screamed, before they leave it motherless, blind and vulnerable and crying in pain, was uncomfortable and upsetting and drawn out. Likewise the scene with the fox. I get that hunting will feature in a book like this but didn’t appreciate the need to make the animals suffer.
Ultimately while I appreciated the writing, I found this book quite hard work both in pace and content which was either uncomfortable or just quite dismal. I can see what Crummey was trying to achieve, it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook - and for the narrator for the accents!
An intriguing twist on the psychological drama, imagining orphaned tweens in near total isolation, having been taught almost nothing. Bonus points for the audiobook narrator's excellent "newfie" accent and equal points deducted for all her other accents.