A peculiar novel by an Aboriginal native man of the Ojibwa tribe in northern Ontario, this is a gem of native literature. The resourcefulness of the Anishinaabe residents on a remote northern Ontario reservation is tested when all connections to the outside world are suddenly severed by a widespread and enduring unexplained power failure along with loss of phone and internet connections.
The past injustices that natives have endured at the hands of the white man, including resettlement to remote reserves and removal of children to abusive residential schools are all here, as is the uniqueness of the native cultures and beliefs with their peculiar intimate relationship to Mother Earth. But this is neither a finger-pointing rant about past abuse nor a sentimental nostalgic plea to restore a past that cannot be relived. That native culture is not depicted as an ideal, and the problems of alcoholism, suicides, and violence are not glossed over. Rather, this is a story of survival in the face of extreme adversity, the very individual responses to that adversity and the inevitable interpersonal conflicts that arise. As the tensions escalate and the corpses pile up, rogue white men arriving on snowmobiles, escaping the chaos in the south, create further tension and add to the body count. But this narrative presupposes the popular Hobbesian myth that our natural reaction to threats to our existence is to resort to cruel individualism rather than to cooperation.
The cause of a widespread, enduring, perhaps global, power failure is never explained and, to me, this is the weak point in the story. But the characters are realistic and the diverse reactions to unexpected adversity are insightful. There are few surprises and there should be no difficulty in remembering who is who.
A good short read with keen insights into a unique culture, and a reminder of the fragility of human existence, always subject to the unpredictable whims of Mother Earth and multiple human errors.
Thanks, Michelle.
The Passionate Reader 