In the eyes of the British Crown at the time, the island of Newfoundland wasn't considered a proper colony, but a sort of floating fishing station and training ground for naval recruits, a country that existed only during the summer months. Most of the planters and fishermen returned to England for the winter, as did the governor himself.River Thieves is a fictional imagining of a real historic time that author Michael Crummey populated with real people (those on the side whose stories have survived anyway) and it reads like a history lesson, an adventure tale, and a finely wrought piece of ironic literature -- no matter how well-intentioned the players involved, the reader can see the noose tightening and the inevitability of a tragic outcome. I was fighting against myself reading this book: wanting to keep reading to see what would happen and desperately wanting to put this book down and turn my mind to something else. In the early 1800s -- with Newfoundland sparsely populated outside of St. John's and the indigenous Beothuk driven into the inhospitable interior of the island -- Governor Duckworth and his representative, British naval officer James Buchan, were determined to establish a friendly relationship with the "Red Indians" (so named for the ochre that they rubbed onto their bodies and belongings). Buchan travelled to the northeast shore -- where there resided colonists who had had sightings of the Beothuk -- and he encouraged several of these men to join his expedition to make contact. Buchan's ultimate goal was to convince one of the Natives to return with him, learn English, and become an interpreter between the two peoples; even if "convincing" meant "kidnapping". The expedition goes wrong and Governor Duckworth calls an end to the efforts.A decade later, after more skirmishes between the Beothuk and the settlers, Buchan returns under the orders of a new governor, and this time, he learns of the hidden histories of attacks and reprisals, crimes and outrages, prejudices and outright murder. As Buchan once again leads a group into the frozen wilds of the interior, it's unclear whether or not there are any Beothuk left to contact. Humanising this grand sweep of events, River Thieves is fleshed out with a fascinating array of characters, each with their own private histories, expertly unveiled. As the reader learns of each character's hidden motivations, it becomes easier to spot the villains, but no easier to prevent the Beothuk's fate. We have taken the tragedy of an entire race of people, Mr. Peyton, and cheapened it with our own sordid little melodrama.I was fascinated by this concept: I have no idea if Duckworth and Buchan's intentions were really this altruistic -- find a way to communicate with the Beothuk, even if it means taking and educating one of them against his will -- but without a method of communicating, the cycle of misunderstandings, theft, reprisal, ambushes, and "recompense" would never end, and ultimately, it didn't matter who started the cycle: it was inevitable who would come out on top. But were the British overlords really more compassionate towards the Beothuk than they were everywhere else on the continent? As Crummey outlines his research at the end, I'll have to take his word for it unless I decide to go to original sources myself. Crummey expertly captured the minutia of the era -- in both the domestic and political spheres -- with an especial focus on the work of the men; the fishing, trapping, hunting, and dressing of meat and furs. He also has a real talent for writing women characters and the lives and labours of both Cassie and Annie Boss were totally believable. The history of this time was very interesting with the British government's stance on Newfoundland being influenced by the recent Revolutionary War in America, the shifting relationship with the French during and after the Napoleonic wars, and the hierarchy of prejudices among the colonists themselves: the British brought with them their firm class system with which to judge each other, but they all looked down their noses at Irish Catholics and Natives, while the Mi'kmaq who settled on Newfoundland with the French felt superior to the Beothuk (and as for Buchan, every time he was confronted with English atrocities, he was pleased to point out that he was Scottish). Capturing a long gone time and place with a prose style that is as spare and lovely as Newfoundland itself, Crummey's first novel is an engaging and worthwhile read. The sun had fallen below the ceiling of grey cloud, illuminating the enormous stretch of ice, and the snow on the branches of spruce terraced on the valley's hills burned gold all around them. It was like walking into a cathedral lit with candles and the group stood there exhausted and breathing heavily, leaning on walking sticks and bent forward to balance the weight of their packs, all with the worn look of awe of a group of pilgrims.
The year is 1810 and life in Newfoundland is not easy. It is populated by the fishermen and trappers who have settled there, and by the native Americans whose land it was before they came. One of the most prominent families are the Peytons. Peyton Senior has trapped and fished for many years. He left his family life in England behind to make a life in this new country. His son, John, is now grown and taking over the family businesses. They also have a housekeeper, Cassie, who came as John's tutor and stayed after he grew up. The British military is concerned about relations with the Native Americans. There have been incidents on both sides; the Indians stealing items from the frontiersmen to discourage them, and retaliation that leads to violence. The government decides to try to contact the remaining Indians and try to create a relationship with them. In order to do so, they need the help of the men who are involved in the strife between the two groups. The novel details the lonely, difficult life each group leads while trying to survive in a bleak environment. Communication is strained, and the results are more incidents as each group tries to emerge as the stronger. A group of trappers mount an expedition into Indian territory and bring back a female captive. What occurs on the expedition and the government's response to it will have far-reaching consequences. Michael Crummey has written a fascinating historical fiction about life in a part of the North American continent many don't know that much about. River Thieves is his first novel and is a winner of the Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award. It was also a finalist for the Giller Prize, The Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Books In Canada First Novel Award. Readers will learn about Newfoundland and the people who settled there from England and France. This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.
Do You like book River Thieves (2003)?
I never in a million years would have picked up this book if it hadn't been for my book club. And that's a sad thing to realise after finishing a very satisfying read. It turns out that Michael Crummey is a respected poet and prose writer in Canada, winning many awards with River Thieves as well as with his poetry collections. I can see why.Set in the early part of the 1800s in Newfoundland (where Crummey is from), River Thieves is a sombre historical novel that charts the conflicts and misunderstandings between a group of tough settlers and the dwindling and mysterious Beothuk Indians. Bound to remote parts of the island, the Beothuk are like a people from a fantasy novel: entirely painted in red, remote and impossible to find, they entice search parties to go after them for the sake of a government wanting to create peace between the natives and the colonies. Who are the river thieves? Maybe they are the settlers who feel like they own the rivers and hunt natives who dare to interfere with their fishing. Or maybe they are the natives who are pushed into behaving like criminals in their own land by an expanding English colony that only sees them as a freakshow or gun target.River Thieves deserves to get an audience outside of Canada because it's not only beautifully written but it shows a part of Canadian history that many are not aware of. When I studied in Canada, I heard some Canadian friends say that their history was boring. Well, this book proves them wrong. The description of Newfoundland's harsh winter landscape and what the settlers and natives had to do to survive it is worth the read alone.
—Ollie
I reread this novel for a presentation I have volunteered to do at the library. Honestly, I rarely reread books anymore since I have so many new ones I want to get through, but I am very glad I picked up River Thieves again. It is very good.I love Crummey's narrative technique in this book. He outlines the key event of the plot (the capture of a Beothuk woman) at the very beginning, and then he returns to this moment many times as the story develops. Each time, we learn more details. It is as if Crummey has drawn a colouring book which he fills in vividly during the course of his work. Crummey seamlessly moves back and forth through history as well, giving us the main characters' backstories, to help us know them better. The characters are very richly drawn as a result.In this, his first novel, Crummey explores the history and the culture of his native province, Newfoundland, something he does again in his later books, The Wreckage and Galore. His common thematic foci of unrequited love and the struggle against nature are introduced here.
—Mary Billinghurst
This is the type of Canadian book I like to read. I find that we are often represented in fiction as we like to see ourselves - on the polite and cheery side, even in depressing circumstances. This book hangs a lantern on a dark spot in Canadian history.I am directly related to settlers who found native rifle pits on their land claim. My ancestral home is not far from Frog Lake. These things are not terribly far in the past in Canada - less than a hundred years in some places. European- and Asian-descended Canadians whose grandparents were born here don't have to look too hard for a connection.So, if you need an antidote to what seems to be an endless array of cheery Newfie novels, this is the right choice for you.
—Deodand
