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brianreynolds
Jun 29, 2015brianreynolds rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Last Crossing by Guy Vanderhaeghe bites off a significant chunk of Canadian history: the intrusion of American whisky traders north of the 49th parallel in the years immediately following the U.S. Civil War and Canadian Confederation. None of what ultimately led to the formation of the Northwest Mounted Police (RCMP), a very different pattern of settlement from the American frontier, and a less confrontational co-existence with prairie First Nations was ignored by Vanderhaeghe, but neither was it made the raison d'être of the novel. Crossing is a beautifully worded, skilfully crafted story of human frailty and determination, of ignorance and pride told from multiple points of view by characters whose voices are real enough to make the reader want to enter their conversations. Inevitably the grit and violence and irony of the times shapes the plot, but it never overshadows the narrative. I recommend it highly.