Three Day Road

If you want to read about WWI trench warfare, this is the book for you. The author got his point across about the relationship between Xavier and Elijah, Canadian soldiers, before I was halfway through the book. Yet he trudged on and on, until I started skipping much of the battle descriptions (without missing anything it turns out) to get on with the story. Most of the time when a book does this, I quit but I was determined to see what became of the second half of story namely Xavier's homecoming, reuniting with his Auntie in Canada, after his war experiences. This could have been a much shorter book and still been a good read instead of becoming tiresome.

Linking Cree hunting stories with World War I frontline accounts would seem an odd undertaking, to say the least. The wild Canadian North with its harsh yet beautiful landscape and tough living conditions for those surviving off the land is a far cry - physically and spiritually - from the trenches and the killing fields of Ypres and the Somme. Yet, Boyden has successfully merged these seemingly disparate themes through his telling of the life stories of the three protagonists: Xavier, Elijah and Niska. The two young friends, looking for adventure, joined the war effort while Niska carries on her life as the last Oji-Cree medicine woman. The story is told from different perspectives, moving backwards and forwards in time. The outcome is an engrossing narrative that interweaves the disturbing description of WWI horrors in the trenches with the rich and multifaceted recollections of the protagonists' lives and their emotions and experiences of the past. "Taking the Three Day Road", the traditional Cree reference to dying, takes on new meaning here, both literally and spiritually. The journey home in Niska's canoe through the lush forests and on the winding river provides the backdrop to her efforts to bring one of the friends home, physically and mentally deeply wounded. Her personal recollections and stories of their past lives are set against the nightmarish dreaming of the returning soldier. Will Niska be able to soothe the mind, will the medicine be strong enough to heal him from the agony of war? The two young Cree started out with eagerness to fight in the war, having honed their tracking and shooting skills in the bush killing animals for food and ceremony. Their very different characters emerge clearly as they leave the familiar territory. As they began their journey, their friendship helped them to complement each others strength to get through numerous challenges, such as the language barrier, their inexperience in urban and barrack life, the discrimination facing them. As their talent as trackers and snipers are increasingly recognized by their superiors, despite their prejudice against Indians, the two are sent on increasingly daring missions. Their reputation grows as they take out more enemy snipers than anybody else. Xavier and Elijah respond very differently to the pressure and violence. One hates his role on the killing fields and is retreating into himself, the other is thriving on the experience and the attention he garners. Their friendship is seriously tested and the tension between them reaches breaking point. How can they salvage the friendship that they had? How can they survive in the hell of the trenches? How do they cope with loosing their comrades and being wounded themselves? Will they be able to reconcile the upbringing on the land, guided by Niska, with the brutality of their war experiences? Boyden is an outstanding story teller and his skill of creating realistic and lively personalities is admirable.

"Three Day Road" is one of the best novels I've read in years. Author Joseph Boyden has created some of the more memorable characters of recent fiction. In particular the main protagonist, Xavier is so clearly drawn as to seem someone I know. The story switches back and forth from the wilds of Canada to the horrors of the Western Front in World War I. In Canada are the old ways, living off the land as so many ancestors before, recognizing rituals and beliefs of generations past. In Europe conversely is the new world, with all the modern weapons of death and destruction -- machine guns, tanks, poison gas airplanes and more. Through Xavier's aunt Niska we learn of Cree life and how the encroachment of whites and their culture was brining it to end and about Xavier's troubled but ultimately happy upbringing with his friend Elijah. Xavier also reflects on his youth but primarily details the life of a soldier and all the consequent miseries brought about by everything from lice and fleas to night raids and incessant bombings. Boyden writes as good a battle scene as you will ever read and I must add writes some of the best sex scenes on paper. "Three Day Road" is a story with many layers covering a number of themes, among them the true natures friendship, loyalty, spirituality and loss. No mean feat in a single novel. Xavier and especially Elijah gain fame as snipers racking up seemingly countless kills. The killings come to consume Elijah and claim his soul. Xavier is more detached and as the war progresses longs to return home. Their exploits and how it effects each and their relationship is central to the book. As is Niska's lonely but fruitful life and her profound influence on Xavier. I highly recommend "Three Day Road" to anyone with even a passing interest in the first world war, the culture of the Cree but most especially to anyone looking for a compelling novel that will inspire them to think. Through Xavier's aunt Niska we learn of Cree life and how the encroachment of whites and their culture was brining it to end and about Xavier's troubled but ultimately happy upbrining. Xavier also refelcts on his youth but primarly details the life of a soldier and all the consquents miseries brought about by everything from lice and fleas to night raids and incessant bombings. Boyden writes as good a battle scence as you will ever read and I must add writes some of the best sex scenes on paper. "Three Day Road" is a story with many layers covering a number of themes among them the true natures freindship, loyalty and spirituality and loss. No mean feat in a single novel.

I've heard it said that you shouldn't let the facts get in the way of a great story. One reviewer thought there were better WW1 stories and I'm sure that's true but this is the story of two native soldiers who weren't always soldiers. They had a home on the outskirts of someone else's - occupying strangers with equally strange ways.You weren't good enough unless you were white and no matter how hard you try you can't do it. People only see your skin colour and draw their own pictures. Xavier and Elijah stood out from the other soldiers - being Canadian helped and being true shots (snipers) made them legends, but like a drop of ink in clear water something invades the picture.We get a clear picture of trench life and the walking ghosts it created. The Aunt has her own ghosts to deal with and the power she got from her father. So are you curious yet? I wanted to take all three characters the aunt and Xavier and Elijah home and make them soup and listen to their stories. I miss them now that the book is done.The ending has hope that home was found where it usually starts in the heart. This book maybe hyped but so what? Read and believe the next Canada Reads Book selection. I've got to read it again.

Set in WW I this book tells the story of two Cree men who join the Canadian army. The two become a sniper team, and the story explains both how they adapt to the harsh conditions of Northern France and to live among a the foreign culture of the white men in their unit. The story also touches upon how their home in Northern Ontario has been affected by the British and the residential school system, and this part of the story is written as reflections by one of the men's aunts who still tries to live according to traditional ways. The writing is crisp and yet very personal, without being melodramatic or too depressing (for those who are worried about that!). I will warn you that the narrative is not always linear in time, but was very straightforward-- you could easily follow the story. I really enjoyed the use of nature in the metaphors and similes, which work surprisingly well given the context of WWI ("I slipped like an otter into the trench"). This book has received a lot of hype in the media, so I was a bit sceptical if it would measure up when I began, but it was so well written and movingly told that I ended up really enjoying the read. I would compare it favourably to Guy Vanderhaeghe's books "The Last Crossing" and "The Englishman's Boy", that set the standard for me for Canadian fiction set in the 19th and early 20th centuries. I think men would particularly enjoy the book (good Father's Day present or birthday gift), but women would enjoy it as well. A scene where one of the main characters translates into Cree the words of the unit's commander, who is attempting to court marshal the other protagonist, is worth reading the whole book. I predict this will become a Canadian classic.

This book blew my socks off - I think it is one of the better books I've ever read. It's about these two young boys from Canada (Native American) who go to Europe to fight for the English in World War I. The fate of these two boys absolutely riveted me, I couldn't put this down, and subsequently have told everyone I know that they must read this book. Boyden is so young, and yet he has managed to write with the wisdom of someone twice his age. The novel is heartbreaking and just fantastic. PLEASE, READ THIS!