A review by crabbygirl
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod

5.0

such a beautiful novel about a family in cape breton with deep ties to scotland. their clan have this mystical bond that is both enviable and recognizable. they just seem to 'know' one another when they meet - by their red or jet black hair, the colour of their eyes, their turn of phrase, and even the loyalty of their dogs who cared too much (descendants of that first dog who jumped from the shores of scotland and swam to the family's boat). i loved it as if it were my own family's history.

and it is a deeply canadian novel, the geography and the attempts to tame it, the Wolfe and Montcalm underpinnings, the french canadian detours that acknowledge their clans go just as deep. we are all one.