Matt Quann's Reviews > Three Day Road

A novel that begins at the end, and ends with a beginning. Three Day Road is a stunning debut from one of Canada’s foremost writers, Joseph Boyden. When Xavier Bird returns from WWI addicted to morphine and wounded, his aunt Niska embarks with him on a three-day journey towards their home in the Northern Ontario bush. As Niska paddles along towards their home, the reader slides seamlessly between Xavier’s remembrances of his time at war and Niska’s account of Xavier as a boy. Central to the novel is the uncertain fate of Xavier’s childhood friend and fellow soldier, Elijah Whiskeyjack. As Xavier and Niska make their way closer to their home, so too does a stunning revelation about Elijah and Xavier’s acts creep closer.

From its opening chapter, Three Day Road sets itself up as a book that would put me through the wringer. The novel’s descriptive passages are evocative and powerful. As Elijah and Xavier traipse through the mud, muck, and murder of various WWI killing-fields, I could vividly imagine their struggles and the horrific scope of the world in which they were forced to survive. This is sharply contrasted with the expressive and majestic way in which Boyden paints the wild of Northern Ontario. As alluded to earlier, scenes in which Xavier shoots morphine in the canoe allow for him to slip seamlessly back to the past. The experience was much the same for me as there are never any hiccups as the novel shifts between alternate stories.

The book also resonates with authenticity: the aboriginal themes, thoughts, and practices ring true and never feel forced. Indeed, the three Cree leads are strong, fully developed and interesting characters whose cultural experiences deeply influence their world-view. Elijah and Xavier both fall victim to the torrid world of residential schools, and are enticed up by the promise of glory and adventure that the war will provide. As Niska details her own life, we also see how government has smothered her culture as she clings on to her way of life. Cree mythology also plays a central part in the structure of the novel and the Bird family legacy returns time and again to drive home a powerful theme.

There is so much contained in this novel that it is impossible to do it justice in a 500-word review. The story swept me away, and though it does read slowly, it never felt as if I was putting in work to finish. Xavier’s childhood innocence, his devolution in Europe, and his attempted rehabilitation by his aunt are all told in tandem to make for a staggeringly ambitious first novel. The writing is rich and illustrative, the story neatly tucked into place at its conclusion, and the characters are all compelling. Though a challenging read in content, writing, and emotion, Three Day Road is essential reading for those in Canada and beyond.