At the Edge of All Things: In Search of Labrador

I drove to Goose Bay, Labrador from Baie Comeau, Quebec in the summer of 2003. . quite a feat for a grandmother. I loved the trip and want to return. I ran across this book almost by accident. It is very readable and provides an insight into the life of the native peoples that you would otherwise never hear about. I recommend it, highly.

This vivid look at life on the edge--about an inventive outlaw in remotest Labrador, a place in fact known as the edge of all things--reads like an excellent novel, with its assured, complex characterization and adventurous storyline. But this book is based on a true account of a couple's perilous chase by snowmobile across the subarctic Canadian barrens in pursuit of thugs who have just made an attempt on their lives. The man, a half Montagnais half Naskapi, has turned to smuggling as a way to make a living in the midst of North American society that has skewed values and despoiled his land; now at great risk, he must protect his interests. Rick Hornung tells his deeply distressing story with exhilarating skill.

In sparse and elegant prose, Hornung takes his reader through the harsh and jagged twists of an unforgiving land. By telling the story of a man who casts himself out of his homeland and into an underworld of smugglers, this book provides a unique perspective on life in the remote areas of North America. When following Martin Rouleau's journey, the reader will travel into the cracks that are etched into the rocks of Canada -- the rifts between whites and aboriginals, the fissures amongst different aboriginal communities, the tensions between French and English speaking Canadians. This is a fascinating book; and, it's a must read for anyone interested in the survival of aboriginals living in the northern climate.

The cognitive title, AT THE EDGE OF ALL THINGS, plunges the reader onto an undeniable trail. The book itself is beautious to hold with no detail overlooked -- including typesetting, cover design and binding. But the true beauty is found in Rick Hornung's fascinating narrative as he navigates through unfamiliar territory on a quest for understanding the black-market life of Martin Rouleau. Hornung artfully makes his journey and Martin's journey our own journey, taking his readers far beyond the backyard, and into the weathered rock and heart of Labrador.