The Myopic Sheep » canadian

The Horseman’s Graves by Jacqueline Baker

Erin McIntosh — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:08:07 +0000

Set in a small town on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border, Baker breathes life into its dusty farmlands and passion into an ordinary German community with layers upon layers of meaning — a pleasant surprise from a first-time novelist.

The Horseman’s Graves tells the story of Lathias, a half-breed farmhand, only a boy himself, who becomes the self-appointed guardian and protector of the Schoff’s only boy following a terrible farm accident that scarred him both physically and mentally. This is as complicated as their lives get until Leo, a historic a target of the town’s hatred and scorn, rolls into town with a new wife and fiery red-haired daughter, who will change their lives forever.

Pitting her characters against juxtaposing themes of good and evil, old and new, passion and fear, religion and superstition, Baker provides a vivid and enticing picture of the complexities of prairie living unknown to those who have never experienced it. It’s all about the shades of grey that lie between these oppositions and the reader is placed in a curious state as a result: the story thrilling, yet slow; the characters complex, yet plain; the message clear, yet dark.

Although expertly told, The Horseman’s Graves is not about stories and traditions passed throughout the generations, or the verifiable truth or fiction behind them, but rather the way they can float in that grey area between until it no longer matters what they are, but rather who is behind them and what they say about us. In Baker’s own words, this novel is “[a]bout Ghosts. And about blood. About trying to get at both of them. And about our inability to do so.”

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Canadian literature, myth, and storytelling, and an appreciation for mysterious shades of grey.

Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography by Chester Brown

Ehren — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:48:00 +0000

"Because there was some doubt about Riel’s sanity, I delayed the execution until November 16th and had him examined by three doctors. They all agreed that he was NOT crazy." – John A. MacDonald

I haven’t had the opportunity to read many graphic novels published in Canada or North America for that matter. Majority of what I have read or seen pertain to Manga or Japanese anime. So when I opened up this book, I was very impressed. Let me just say that I would much rather get this book in its hardcover format rather than its trade paperback format as the trade paperback’s spine started cracking in very odd manners.

So aside from my mini critique of the production value of the book, let us move along to the life and times of Louis Riel. In case you don’t know who Louis Riel was, he can be considered one of the classic elements of Canadian history where English and French Canada have clashed. That being said, he was actually a part of the Métis nation who were descendants of marriages between aboriginals and French Canadian and/or British/Celtic settlers. If you are interested in reading more about the Métis, check out this link to Wikipedia. They provide a fairly accurate and descriptive brief on these people. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tis_people_%28Canada%29)

Using Chester Brown’s foundation for his book, this part of history begins in 1869 where the Red River settlement had grown to 12,000 people and within it were a Métis people who composed a large majority of the population. A number of factors triggered what became known as the Red River Rebellion in 1869 and North-West Rebellion in 1885. Brown really brings to light the different points of views involved, but nonetheless does not pull punches when it comes to portraying the darker sides of various figures in Canadian history.

One thing I can definitively state is that reading about Louis Riel in the books and listening to my professors talk about him, are so very different than seeing Louis Riel truly live his life in a graphic novel. It is something about the medium that makes him come alive and the fact that you can see history taking place visually really turns Louis Riel into a legend.

Banana Boys by Terry Woo

Ehren — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 18:37:49 +0000

"Banana’s rarely acknowledged each other’s existence, and when we did, the sniping and back-stabbing and incessant questioning was ridiculous. We were a ragtag collection of militants, intellectuals, mama’s boys, capitalists, whitewashed sellouts. Why bother even trying? I have no use for a ‘pile of sand.’" – Rick

One of my many favourite quotes from Banana Boys – such a powerful and controversial statement; full of truth yet none of it is necessarily a part of reality.

The book is essentially about five Chinese Canadian guys and the story begins with a quite tragic and somewhat scary suicide of one of these five friends. Luke, Dave, Mike, Sheldon, and Rick are all how the Chinese refer to Canadian Born Chinese as Bananas – yellow on the outside, white on the inside. The book provides a look at the lives of each of these five friends, their stories intertwined throughout the book, leading up to the anti-climatic ending. Each character is unique and carries a very realistic and even recognizable personality which I found myself identifying with each of them on some level.

One of the first things I realized about this book was that I could not stop reading it. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the characters resembled me so well that I just needed to go on, or the story was just that good. I’d like to believe it was both because the flow of the book went from one friend to the next. It also provided different perspectives at different stages of their lives, making it a very smooth continual transition from beginning to end. The most impressive part of the book to me is how Terry Woo managed to weave five characters together that incorporated all frustrations, emotions and obstacles that seem to resemble my own mind. It is as if, these five characters are different points of the mind coming together to discuss the issue of being a Banana and growing up a Chinese Canadian; and to some extent these different points of view are a reality in my mind. The topic of identity is one that applies to everyone, but in this case no matter how hard we may try to fit in with the “Chinese” individuals or the “Canadians”, there will never be a distinct group for us to fit in and relax. There is a lot of racy material in the book and I would only recommend teenagers in high school and upwards to read this book. My only criticism of the book is the topic of women; not necessarily how it is discussed but rather the frequency throughout the book. That being said, friends have pointed to me that there is validity to how Terry Woo wrote the book as identity also carries issues into relationships for the characters individually.

While this generally may seem like a serious topic and Banana Boys does look at a number of very serious issues, the book is actually a lot of fun and spins the discussion in many ways. There are a lot of fun and happy moments leading into the crazy and heavy arguments or antics amongst friends. Throw into the mix some downright painful recollection of memories from past relationships and the obstacles (or lack thereof) that these five friends encounter during their present day experiences with women and you’ll then get a discussion of who a “Banana Boy” really is. In addition, the book is filled with phonetically spelt out Chinese which adds a very odd dimension to the book coming from my perspective. Ridiculously hilarious pie charts are also scattered throughout the book outlining where the character’s brainpower is focusing and lists pointing out the “Good Times” and “Bad Times” with signature trademark symbols; this book just carries an essence that is essentially characteristic of a “Banana”. If that seems confusing to you, it really isn’t how the book is, it is just that as a “Banana” writing a concise review about this book is like writing a concise thought about all the insane discussions and debates one would have inside my own mind. On top of that, all of these characters live in Toronto with numerous notable mentions of places and names that Torontonians will recognize. That is how close the book is to my life.

I happened to stumble on to Banana Boys by pure accident one day when I was looking for something different, a book that would look at the modern present-day Chinese Canadian experience. My past experience with Chinese Canadian literature has demonstrated that a lot of emphasis has been placed on the woman’s perspective in the past and present day, but with very little exposure on the man’s experiences so the fact that Banana Boys focuses on discussing the experiences of specifically Chinese Canadian males is brilliant in my opinion. It does not necessarily provide an answer to the question that people like me continue to ask ourselves day after day, but it does provide a fun read and a forum for discussion.

Banana Boys is a book that I feel anyone who has questions about identity would be interested in reading or those who are interested in reading about the silent cultural clash between the Chinese and North American cultures. The fact that it sheds light on the present-day Chinese Canadian male perspective is excellent and for that I have to give kudos to Terry Woo, but more so for sorting through all of the confusion in our minds, the silent debates, and for creating an entertaining, solid and coherent story for everyone to enjoy and learn (myself included) about it means to be a male “Banana” in today’s society.