This was my first book by DR MacDonald, and it won't be my last. I live in CB, and have read several of A. MacLeod's collections, MacDonald's novel compared well, and similarly on many levels, which I think is not too bad to say. At the same time, he has his own voice and way of looking at the island and its people. He tells the story of essentially the same woods/maritime/farming culture and geography (west CB vs boulardarie island) as Mr. MacLeod, yet through a different and unique pair of eyes. I don't mean that to sound as simple as it reads...it's like two microscopes revealing different interpretations of the same slide. For me awesome!I think this is MacDonald's first novel and appreciate the work he put into pulling his ouevre into the longer format. A bit of splunking on the net found me a piece from CBC where he talked about his writing and how he does it....sits down and pens initial and later drafts in longhand then works it over and over like a master artisan on the forge. Reading his description of his working process is inspiring, he leaves the keys to success lying on the table with a note that says, essentially, "hardwork, start writing, then rewrite." Ouch and touche.A word about the ending. I admit to peeking at comments about it from a couple of GR's disappointed readers before before finishing. I continued reading, wondering why. I now understand the sentiment but enjoyed the denouement myself. Yes it was abrupt. But not so much as to be crude or impenetrable. The loose ends can be read in different ways. Innis could well have perished in his mad dash through the bush, that madness has killed many a person, and he had more than that buzzing his brain to bits after poisoning his uncle's well. Yet, I don't think he was totally lost, in either sense. He was a good man, he regretted his actions, he is on his way into hell but sees for the first time the truth and love of Dan Rory and his lesson that kin can break stones. Somehow the girl hitchhiker, the last person he meets, may have finally broke Claire's hold on his soul. I for one hope the fox was a dog and there was a light burning for Innis in a doorway in those woods as his strong young legs carried him through the mess he had made.
An amazing and rather sad Canadian novel that is uniquely Cape Breton, with complex characters, vivid detail and an unforgettable plot. My only complaint is that it portrays this beautiful island in a negative light. Cape Breton has strong Celtic and Gaelic roots, an extensive and incredibly interesting industrial history from the coal mines and steel mill formerly there, stunning landscapes and the smell of coal dust, saltwater, fallen snow in the winter and wild grass in the summer, drifting through the breeze. To portray it as a backwater rednecky place is just not accurate. Sure, there are rednecks, I should know, I've lived there and written books about the island myself. But most of the people of Cape Breton Island are friendly, intelligent and resourceful, and show a lot of pride for their home and country, which is something that large cities are seriously lacking in.
Do You like book Cape Breton Road (2002)?
Not my typical genre of reading, but love the author's style of writing, his description of Cape Breton Island and its people which kept me glued to the book. A bit of mystery, small time crime, and intrigue. A Canadian born teen who was living in Boston with his mother is deported back to Canada, where he hasn't lived since he was two years old, after a car thieft spree in the States. It was a bit of a culture shock for him after living most of his life in the big city. Kind of reminds me of what's happening today to young Mexican born children living most of their life in the US but are deported back to Mexico a place where they've little connection.
—Dee
This is a great book - it's about a guy who was born on Cape Breton, and grew up in Boston, but got deported from the US for stealing cars. He has to go back home to Cape Breton and live with his grumpy uncle and his grumpy uncle's gorgeous girlfriend . . . anyway, he makes a plan to grow pot in the woods, sell it, and make enough cash to move out west and start over. He might be on the wrong side of the law, but he's really a great kid, I swear, and when you read the book you just really want his little grow-op to succeed. And it's a great book, although a little weird that my grandmother was the one who recommended it to me . . .
—Alison Morgan
While the descriptions of scenery are certainly beautiful, this novel lacks momentum. Innis's struggle as a young man ostracized from his hometown is interwoven with long passages of intricately described action, setting, and disgruntled resentment from the protagonist. This leaves the reader to suffer through the book as Innis suffers through his first, long, Cape Breton winter. Innis' self-pitying attitude separates the reader from engaging with the protagonist's struggle. The pace of action is equivalent to the rate of forest growth. Cape Breton Road is a story for someone interested in landscape literature, rather than anyone looking for an encapsulating read.
—Michelle
