Come From Away
While an American factory owner threatens the traditional fishery, island bully Harvey Pierce threatens young Paul Russell – as both are drawn to Carol Lismer, the factory owner’s daughter.
That’s the gist of the story, further summarized by the Toronto Globe and Mail in a rave review headed “Mysterious author captures island life.” Here are pieces of that summary, matched with passages from the novel.
From the review: “The mysterious Joseph Green has immortalized a small island off the East Coast in a little gem of a novel about isolation and adolescence. Mysterious Joseph Green? Yes, because we’re told on the dust jacket that isn’t his real name. … But he should stand up and take a bow. He has caught all the nuances of a very particular culture, with its ribald humour, colourful invective, disdain for affectation and suspicion of mainlanders, those ‘come from away.’ “
From the book:
On the island there was a top layer of friendliness that belied the deeper layer of spite, suspected plots, and inbred politics that made hard-core Liberals boycott Emily’s store and rank Conservatives boycott Burt’s. The woman from away would soon learn about the pettiness, thought Alden. But then there was a deeper layer she might never see, the judgment and quick generosity that when something really bad happened made everybody on the island like your brother and sister.
Except for a few genuine bastards, thought Alden. He wondered how the New Producer was making out with Bismarck. “Ain’t it awful,” he said aloud.
“Ummm-hmmm,” said Emily.
“Yes, Alden, yes,” said Lucy.
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From the review: “The central character, a boy name Paul, has just graduated from the island’s high school and faces a traditional dilemma. Everyone expects him to join his father in the fishing fleet and his father has plans to buy a bigger boat to celebrate the partnership. But Paul, a sensitive, shy boy, feels the pull of the world beyond the island.”
From the book:
At last he clambered out upon the rock’s of Angel’s Head. Across a narrow, murmuring strip of water, the flowered islet that was the bowed head itself glowed warm in the sun. Behind Paul, tall spruces made the topmost curve of the angel’s wing.
“I’m goin’ away!” he shouted.
As if to match this moment of decision, the sky’s blue suddenly seemed to turn solid and perfect. He shouted again, loud and long towards the mainland, daring himself to have no care if the village heard:
“I’m goin’ away!”
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From the review: “Paul is clumsy and accident-prone and his father despairs of him becoming a competent sailor and fisherman.”
From the book:
All’s is, we had a little trouble tying up, Paul told himself. Nothin’ to laugh about, is it? Anyways, with no deck lights they can’t see us from the wharf. It’ll all pass off.
Starting down the cuddy hatch, his father Jack flicked the flashlight beam ahead. He stopped. His hand led the beam over coffee mugs, food cans, dishes, blankets, pillows, cereal, boots, stove parts, engine parts, wires, electrical fixtures, tools, nails, sticks of wood, fishing line, leftover hash, eggs, milk and everything else Paul had dragged out during his cleaning-up spree and then left forgotten on the cuddy floor to roll and smash itself during the gale.
At that moment a car on the wharf turned its headlights onto the Paul and David. Another boat appeared alongside, deck lights and spotlights on. In the beams, Jack stood with arms upraised and bellowed to the rainy sky.
“AIN’T IT AWFUL!”
Paul heard Harvey’s hateful snort mingle with Carol’s laughter at him and his father. He gulped back sobs and rushed for the darkness of the engine-room.
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From the review: “Their alienation grows, the tension simmers.“
From the book:
Black in the face again, thought Jack. Pay no attention and he feels bad; pay attention and he gets worse. He walked back to the pilothouse and took a long drink by himself. He felt tired, and relieved that it was Friday. There would he home and bed, and a long weekend because of the election on Monday. Jack took another drink, thought of Paulie, and knew that today he was going to drink too much.
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From the review: “In a sub-plot, an American named Lismer moves to Palisade Island with his wife and daughter to take over and modernize the fish plants. … His plan to replace the fiercely independent fishermen with company-owned steel trawlers would put most of them out of business and drastically change the island’s economy and culture.”
From the book:
“What’s wrong with the boats we got?” said Pee Pee. “They catch plenty of fish and they keep the boatyards and stores and factory goin’. Why you want new ones that costs so much?”
“Similar vessels have paid off in Europe,” said Lismer, “and it’s helped the fishing towns.”
“Europe is Europe, and here is here,” said Jack Russell. “Maybe they need big boats offshore. Here the fish come inshore. All we need is small boats and weirs. And we can get by in a year when there’s no fish. Boats the size you want have big debts. In a bad year the shipyard would foreclose.”
“But I’ve seen it working,” said Lismer. “I have to believe in what I’ve seen. Boats get bigger just like companies, like anything. You need to move ahead.”
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From the review: “In the midst of Paul’s dilemma about his future, he meets Lismer’s pretty daughter, who is the same age as he, and becomes infatuated.”
From the book:
Paul went aft to coil up the stern line. Somebody on another boat gave a wolf-whistle. Paul looked up and the rope stopped moving in his hands. The girl from away stood at the end of the factory wharf, sunlight outlining her slim legs through her skirt. She looked unsurprised by the whistle, her face as accepting as the water to the sun. In the way she looked, there was something like no girl he’d ever seen on Palisade.
She was watching Harvey make a great flying show-offy leap to the bow of the Rowena C.
Paul ducked around to the other Paul ducked around to the other side of the pilothouse,to hide from Harvey and the girl and anyone else who would know about his foolish actions yesterday.
[But later, on the wharf … ]
Paul realized he had his cap on and put the comb back in his pocket. He looked down at his boots and dirty clothes. He looked at the gulls circling over the harbour. He looked at the red shingles of the factory and at the young pollock playing below in the water.
Then he looked at Carol, almost in the eye.
“I don’t suppose you’d like to go to the dance Saturday?”
“Yes, Paulie, I’d love to.”
A smile blossomed on her face as Paul’s eyes turned away, hiding their load of joy.
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From the review: “Green deftly manipulates both parts of the plot to a satisfying conclusion …. “
But let’s close the book for now, saving the fistfight with Harvey, the trial of “Bismarck,” and other surprises for later. We’ll just repeat the last words of the review:
“Beyond all doubt, it’s the most impressive novel of the season, even if we don’t know who wrote it.”
- William French, Globe and Mail.