Book Reviews

Mixing Periods & Genres

Stephen Legault (Author)
The Cardinal Divide. NeWest Press
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(Author)
The Outlander. House of Anansi Press
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Reviewed by Leonard Bond

Mary Boulton is running. Only nineteen and already a widow, murderer, and fugitive from justice, Mary Boulton must run for her very life. Pursued by her vengeful brothers-in-law for the murder of her husband, if they find Mary Boulton it will mean certain death to the outlander.

This uncommon first novel by Gil Adamson combines a thrilling adventure story with polished literary technique. Full of action and movement, the early pacing and urgency of Boulton's predicament quickly pull the reader in. Yet amid all the chaos, the narrative comes alive with rich metaphor and poetic imagery, as when Boulton stops briefly to brush off her clothes, "sitting back to watch the dust eddy about her like fairies."

Also present in the story are several classic themes: abuse, survival, love, religion, and the pursuit of justice-many of which are set against others in a kind of thematic binary that runs throughout the text. Kindness opposes abuse, survival co-exists with death, love is coupled with hate, and religion conflicts with superstition. Moreover, the pursuit of justice may be read as a quest for vengeance. Clearly a lot is happening in this novel.

Set in 1903, The Outlander crosses multiple genres, encompassing the western, the picaresque, the historical novel, and even a touch of the gothic. It also fits nicely within the Canadian literary tradition of stories focusing on nature, frontier life, and outdoor adventure. Its survival theme, for example, upholds Atwood's Survival (1972) thesis on the nature of CanLit. This is especially true of Part One in which Boulton spends considerable time alone in the wilderness. Frye's garrison mentality may also be seen at work in the text, particularly in Boulton's adventures in the small mining town of Frank-a settlement composed entirely of men.

As the novel develops, we learn of Boulton's troubled past in a series of brief flashbacks. Included here are the details of her husband's brutal murder; still, the widow remains an entirely sympathetic character. Her tragic past, her enfeebled mental state, and her hateful brothers-in-law (whose hulking size, coupled with the widow's own small stature, lends a David-and-Goliath quality to the narrative) combine to make us wholeheartedly desire her escape. Through her depiction of Boulton's past, Adamson intentionally undermines any wish in the reader for legal justice in the case.

The novel also features a unique cast of characters: the enterprising dwarf in a bowler hat, the bootlegging giant named Giovanni, and the kindly Reverend Bonnycastle (a pugilistic preacher with his own form of muscular Christianity and a thriving horse-theft ring on the side). But no secondary character grabs our attention quite like William Moreland, the Ridgerunner. He at first saves Boulton, only to later abandon her, ultimately regretting his decision. Will they see each other again? Will the widow survive?

Written in third-person omniscient mode and divided into three distinct parts (each of which brings triumph and tragedy), The Outlander is a difficult novel to put down. Highly recommended.

Stephen Legault's novel, The Cardinal Divide, affords readers an opportunity to sit back and attempt to solve a thrilling murder mystery. Set in the present day, the story follows formerly prominent, though now washed up, environmental consultant Cole Blackwater as he reluctantly takes on the role of private investigator after the vicious murder of local mine manager Mike Barnes in the fictitious town of Oracle, Alberta. Blackwater himself is the classic hard-boiled detective character: raging alcoholic, tough former boxer, failed husband, failing father, and future failed businessman.

When Blackwater receives a call from old friend Peggy McSorlie requesting his services in stopping a powerful mining operation from ravaging the beautiful Cardinal Divide, he agrees to take on the job. Practically broke, Blackwater heads to Alberta as much to receive a pay cheque as to stop the mine. Aware that the small but determined Eastern Slopes Conservation Group is fighting a lost cause, Blackwater nevertheless agrees to help develop a plan of action against the mine.

As if stopping the mine wasn't enough of a challenge, Blackwater soon finds he must also deal with local wingnut and outspoken ESCoG (Eastern Slope Conservation Group) member Dale van Stemvort. In the past, Dale's careless comments have led to a belief in Oracle that he was responsible for certain local acts of eco-terrorism. When van Stempvort again makes unwise comments to the media (loosely interpretable as threatening) and Mike Barns turns up dead mere hours later, all suspicions immediately turn towards Dale, and he is arrested for Barns' murder.

Ready to wash his hands of the entire operation, Blackwater packs his belongings and heads for his home in Vancouver. But before he can get very far, he begins to realize that several aspects of the RCMP's case against van Stempvort simply don't add up. Turning his truck around, Blackwater returns to Oracle with hopes of solving the mystery, and a growing list of potential suspects beginning to form in his mind.

The Cardinal Divide is a page-turner of a mystery and an interesting work of pulp fiction. What it is not is a masterpiece of the English language. While many of Legault's descriptions of the scenery around the real Cardinal Divide do evoke images of beauty, the bulk of the text is neither poetic nor aesthetically pleasing. Such cringe-worthy lines as "Holy huge hole in the ground, Batman" certainly attest to that. However, the novel should not be judged on what it is not, but rather on what it is. And what it is is what it aims to be: a pulp fiction mystery with serious environmental issues at its heart. It is also the first story in the Cole Blackwater mystery series and includes (as a bonus) the first chapter of the next volume. Recommended.

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This review has not yet appeared in Canadian Literature.

MLA: Bond, Leonard. Mixing Periods & Genres. canlit.ca. Canadian Literature, n.d. Web. 31 July 2010.

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