The StoryKeepers: Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

Joseph Boyden first rose to prominence with his novel Three Day Road. It was not his first novel, but it got a lot of press, was nominated for several awards, two of which he won. This writer has an interesting background of mixed Irish and Ojibway roots which you can read on his website, but his writing comes from his Ojibway roots.

It was Boyden's followup novel, Through Black Spruce, that won the Giller Prize. It's a fine book, but I think Three Day Road is better. It's the tragic, enthralling story of a young Cree man who comes home to northern Ontario after witnessing horror in the front lines of battle in World War I. Xavier Bird hovers between life and death as his grandmother takes him by canoe on a three-day journey to her home. Along the way, this grandmother realizes the only thing she can give this boy to hold onto are her stories. And so the book is a story about stories: stories about the grandmother, about the land, about family, about roots, but also Xavier's stories about war, about bravery, about friendship, about tragedy.

Joseph Boyden captures the beauty and spirit of northern Ontario;  and from whatwar veterans have told me, he also does an excellent job of calling up the harsh realities of war, Xavier's life as a sniper, and the wounds carried by those who witness these horrors.

The book is well worth the accolades and seems to come from a very personal place. I have recommended this book to anyone who has relatives who fought in wars, particularly First Nation veterans. It's a rich and satisfying read.