Joseph Boyden - Through Black Spruce

ABOUT THE BOOK

How far do you have to go to escape your past? How far do you have to go to protect your family? How far do you have to go to find yourself?

As Will Bird lies deep in a coma, his heart and mind reach out to his niece Annieto explain to her his troubled past, and the path of escalating violence that put him there. Sitting by her uncles bedside, Annie also has a story to tell, of her harrowing search to find her missing sister in the big city, and how she found a protector in the most unexpected place. These two unique characters in Joseph Boydens powerful new book, Through Black Spruce, draw the reader back to the world of his multiple awardwinning first novel, Three Day Road.

Will is an aging bush pilot who seems content to live out his days as a bird who no longer flies. As long as he has his friends, his family, and his rye whisky, life is good for him in Moosonee. When Marius Netmaker, a local drug runner, suspects Will of being an informant for the police, he taunts Will with a series of increasingly violent episodes that culminate in a fateful confrontation. Taking to the skies one more time, Will flees to the contemplative solitude of the far wilderness, where he immerses himself in the old ways, struggling with nature and his own demons for survival.

Annies sister Suzanne has fled to Toronto with Mariuss brother Gus, a move that provokes concern in the Bird family and anger in the Netmakers. She becomes a successful model, but Guss ties to the seedy world of illegal drugs and biker gangs lead to her mysterious disappearance. Fearing for her sister, Annie follows her trail, first to the disorienting streets of Toronto and Montreal and then to the intoxicating but heartless club scene of New York City. There she finds herself drawn into a world of image and exploitation, of fast times and shallow friends, and discovers that the only person she can trust is a street-smart Anishnabe mute named Gordon.

Some journeys are hard but must be taken, and true knowledge must be earned. Even though their paths lead them far from home and family, both Will and Annie return to Moosonee physically transformed and richer in spirit, having learned what lies through black spruce.

Always, for the people of Mushkegowuk.

Nicole Winstanley, your genius is in no small part your passion. Chi meegwetch. David Davidar and Paul Slovak: brilliant hookimaws. Arzu Tahsin, wow, Im glad we work together. Francis Geffard, you are my ntontem.

Thanks as well to Tracy Bordian, Stephen Myers, and the rest of the gang at Penguin Canada. Im blessed to have you all in my corner.

Johna Hupfield of Wasauksing First Nation, meegwetch for your careful eye and opposition to curse words. Debby Diabo Delisle of the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation, nia:wenkowa. Greg Spence, Ed Metatawabin and family, the Tozer clanbasically all of you from Moosonee northwardyoure my inspiration.

Thank you to Daniel Sanger for sharing your vast knowledge of biker culture. And thank you to Julian Zabalbeascoa and Katie Sticca for a fantastic last-minute read.

Gord Downie, Tony Penikett, Brian Kelly, Mark and Harald Mattson, Hughes Leroy: each of you is my ntontem, too.

To all of my New Orleans people: the gang at the compound and Kris Lackey. Jen Kuchta, John Lawrence, and the Bagert clan. To all of you others whose names are too many to list here. A little rain wont ruin our parade. And thanks especially to Rick Barton and Joanna Leake, as well as the rest of the MFA Program faculty and students at University of New Orleans, low residence included. I love working with you all.

Jim Steel, you are brilliant in war and in peace.

My very large and little bit crazy family: we are nothing without each other.

And always to you, Amanda, my love. I cant imagine the journey without you.

AN INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH BOYDEN

Q: How did the incredible success of Three Day Road affect the writing process for Through Black Spruce?

Id be lying if I said that the success of Three Day Road didnt give me reservations when beginning Through Black Spruce. For a while, I worried about reader expectations and sometimes, deep in the night, a little voice whispered, Your first novel was a fluke. You wont be able to do that again. But then, when much of the travel for my first novel was finished, much kinder voices began to whisper to me. These eventually became Will and Annie Bird, and as soon as I began writing in earnest again, all my worries burned away like morning mist in the sun. I think sitting down to write a novel is daunting for any writer, but the day-today, page-at-a-time process takes over and grows into something I can only describe as a little miraculous.

Q: After writing a novel so rich in historical research, was it refreshing to write a novel set in the here and now?

There are certain parameters, certain facts that cant be ignored when writing a historical novel. Those parameters dont exist nearly so rigidly when writing about the contemporary world. That world is your oyster, but its a big oyster, indeed. And so I was forced to make careful decisions about where my characters would go that were both realistic and often surprising, especially when my characters began to develop. Will flees to the desolate north while Annie tracks her missing sister in the big cities down south. The research for this novel was clearly much different from the research for Three Day Road. Yes, it was refreshing not to have to pore over historical texts but rather to look at the contemporary world with as keen an eye as I could.

Q: Through Black Spruce shares with its predecessor a dualnarrator structure. What does this format provide that a more traditional single narrator does not?

Utilizing two points of view rather than one is a bit of a balancing act. And there has to be a clear reason for a dual narrative that is organic to the story, or else it will feel false. The decision to once again use this structure wasnt even all that conscious. Apparently, the Bird Clan need one another to talk to when it feels as if the rest of the world is against them. Ultimately, the use of two perspectives offers a much wider scope, and just as importantly, a sort of call and response that I hope grows and echoes as the novel progresses.

Q: Both of your novels explore the long-reaching effects that violence has on the soul. Why do you think this is such a common theme in Canadian literature?

I think that the exploration of violence and its effect on all of us isnt just a common Canadian theme but a universal one. Violence is an uncomfortable reality, I imagine, for most writers to explore, and its in this dark place that much tension exists. And I believe tension is a very important ingredient in good fiction. On a more personal note, Ive unfortunately witnessed my fair share of inexplicable violence, and exploring the most depraved of human actions in my writing acts as a small exorcism.

Q: Why do you think that the theme of exile leading to self-discovery is such an important part of Canadian literature?

I didnt set out on a mission to explore the theme of exile and how it can lead to self-discovery, but certainly this novel and these characters comfortably fit into that realm. I originally set out to tell what I hoped would be a good story, an exciting read. Once again, I think this theme is quite universal. It occurs in so much of our world literature because it includes all three of the conflicts at a writers disposal: man versus man, man versus nature, and man versus self. Its a natural place for the writer to be drawn to in order to utilize tension, which once again, I believe, equals good fiction.