Used
Paperback
2006
$3.85
The stories of an American Indian sniper caught up in the Great War and of his aunt, one of the last Cree Indians to live off the land, are intertwined in a mesmerising journey as they travel home over three days This beautiful, haunting novel begins as Niska is reunited with her nephew, Xavier, after he returns from the horrors of the First World War. As she slowly paddles her canoe on the 3-day journey to take him home, travelling through the stark but stunning landscape of Northern Canada, their respective stories emerge. Niska is the last Cree Indian woman living off the land in Canada. She recalls her memories of growing up among her kinsfolk, of trying to remain true to her ancestors and traditions in a rapidly changing world. Xavier joined the war reluctantly at the urging of his only friend, Elijah - a Cree boy raised in the reservation schools. Elijah and Xavier honed their hunting skills as snipers in the horrors of the trenches and the wastes of No-man's land. But as the war continues, they react in very different ways to the never-ending carnage around them.
Niska realises that in the aftermath of war, Xavier's very soul is dying - but will the three day journey home be enough to help him find hope again?
Used
Hardcover
2005
$5.84
THREE DAY ROAD is a First World War novel told through the eyes of two Canadian Cree Indians: Niska, the last Indian woman living off the land in Canada, and her nephew, Xavier, who reluctantly joins the far-away war at the urging of his only friend, Elijah - a Cree boy raised in the reservation schools. Weaving between the horrors of the trenches and the wastes of No-man's land (where Elijah and Xavier hone their hunting skills as snipers and react in their very different ways to the never-ending carnage around them), and Niska's memories of growing up in the snowy wilderness of the Canadian North, the stories of aunt and nephew counterpoint each other forming a rich and spellbinding tapestry.Powerful, poignant and utterly compelling, THREE DAY ROAD is a novel about war and loyalty; ancestors and history; friendship and family, and the dark secrets of the human heart. It tells the story of the unknown, and unsung Indian snipers of the Great War, offers a unique and unforgettable account of life in the trenches and paints an evocative portrait of wilderness existence and the death of the Indian way of life.