Three day road novel5/11/2023 Her stories return to her childhood: growing up with other Cree in the bush of Northern Ontario, Niska learned the arts of divination and communion with spirits from her father. As she nourishes Xavier with food and water, she also tries to nourish him through talk. Niska’s story recounts a different kind of destruction: the end of a way of life. His dependence on morphine does little to help his growing thirst for violence. In contrast, Elijah feeds off of the cruelty, growing bolder and more bloodthirsty both on and off the battlefield. As the war goes on, the constant death and destruction wear on Xavier, dragging him into a deep depression. Xavier’s mind replays his arrival with Elijah in Europe as the battles begin, both are recognized by the military officials for their sniping ability. Debilitated by morphine addiction and the pain of recovering from a leg amputation, Xavier returns in his thoughts to the war as Niska paddles their canoe toward her home in the bush. Anchored in the narrative of a three-day canoe journey by two Cree Indians, Xavier and Niska, the novel spins forwards and backwards from this point to encompass both of their stories: from the bush of Northern Ontario, where the independent and spiritual Niska grew up, to the World War I battlefields of Europe, where her nephew Xavier and his best friend Elijah were torn apart by war.
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