White River Crossing
Ian McGuire’s novel, fittingly tagged ‘cinematic’ and ‘bloody’, drops us into the vast wilderness in 1766 at Hudson Bay, inside the Company’s Prince of Wales Fort, and into a tale of greed, trickery, and colonial barbarism. Beginning with his valuable research findings, McGuire’s vivid narration gives abundant scope for characters to muse about themselves, others, their pasts and the task ahead.
Close to retirement and looking to polish his final curtain call, Chief Factor, Magnus Norton, sends an expedition to the Barren Grounds, 2-3 days north of the White River crossing, in search of gold. He opts in deputy John Shaw, a hard, assured and impatient man; Tom Hearn the restless first mate of a local whaler; and assistant clerk, Abel Walker. As a longtime trusted guide, Shaw demands the Dene chieftain, Datsanthi, accompany them, along with Datsanthi’s wife, Pawpitch, his discontent, unstable son Nabayah and Nabayah’s young wife, Keasik.
As they trek through the vastness the three white men are forced to undergo a mental rehabilitation of preconceived biases regarding Native peoples and test their own physical ability to withstand extreme hardship. The events at Crow Lake, where they shelter until early spring, whilst heavily outnumbered by a band of Northern Indians already camped there, becomes the catalyst for every calamity and act of retribution and revenge that follows. Their search for the gold at the Barren Grounds’ site is where, at their peril, Shaw underestimates the Inuit’s resilience and cunning. His impulsivity, Abel’s naivete, and Hearn’s balanced shrewdness cause frequent dissent, and the four Dene are an integral part of what goes awry. I could never have predicted the outcome of this tale.
At the start of the novel, the direction isn’t quite clear, but a chapter in, it proves hard to turn away, despite the graphics. The momentum in this all-consuming thriller barely takes a breath!
