A Newfoundlander in Canada: a review

In 2007 I had the great good fortune to spend a week at Hollyhock Farm learning about creativity from an absolute master: Nick Bantock. A few days into the workshop Nick was looking over my creations - which, like his fantastic Griffin and Sabine trilogy combined multimedia collage and writing.  After a moment, Nick said something like, you make pretty pictures and you have a way with words, but if you really want to capture people's attention you'll need to find the darkness of life and let it out in your work.

There is a reason those wise words came back to me while reading Alan Doyle's second book, A Newfoundlander in Canada: Always Going Somewhere Always Coming Home. Alan is one of my favourite songwriters and musicians. I have followed him since the early days with Great Big Sea, having first heard of them at UNBC in Prince George in 1995 (Alan's version of that story made it into the BC chapter of this book, where he reveals that playing that show in front of a heavily alpha-male crowd waiting for a grunge band was the moment he knew they could play anywhere. Good old PG). I enjoy his solo music as much as I did the music he made with "the boys."

And, I enjoyed this book - overall. It's fun to read about the early days of GBS, how they grew as men and as a band, and Alan's impressions of Canada. Before heading to Halifax on their first maritime tour, Alan had never been off of Newfoundland. His reflections across the provinces - each one given its own chapter with other stories interspersed - are charming and full of innocence. And that, in a nutshell, is my complaint. The stories are too charming and too innocent. It's overloaded with sweetness, not unlike the irresistible case of Cadbury Easter Creme Eggs the band were given in Toronto. We know it wasn't all sweetness and light, yet this book never lets you see the struggle.

I have a second complaint, one that reveals the depth of my loyalty to BC. Doyle assigns each province a familial relationship to Newfoundland, and I have to say some of them are BS. In particular, that Ontario is the talented oldest sibling that we all rag on but secretly admire. BARF. Ontario is neither the oldest province nor secretly admired, at least not by Western Canadians. Sure, they have a big population, but being the centre of capitalism is not worthy of being admired, but I digress, and my pale pink socialism.is showing. And, Doyle calling BC the distant cousin you hardly know and find a little odd is hard to reconcile. As the only maritime province on the Pacific coast, I would have thought there's a lot we share with Newfoundland. Only, of course, I've never been to Newfoundland, so how would I know? 

Doyle does have a way with words. I don't know that I've ever read a more apt description of the Winnipeg cold, and I've only been there in October. (Sadly, I lent the book out without writing down the quote, so you'll just have to read the book). His story-telling, if a little simple, is entertaining. At the very least, he's inoffensive, and I suppose that's something. 

A Newfoundlander in Canada is Short. Fast. Fun. Canadian. If you're looking for a quick summer read that makes you feel good about this summer's lack of international travel, you'll probably like this book. If you're looking for deep insight and books that change how you see yourself in the world, maybe read  Between the World and Me instead.