''Three Day Road'' is the first

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

from

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

writer

Joseph Boyden Joseph Boyden (born October 31, 1966) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer of Irish and Scottish descent. He also claims Indigenous descent, but this is widely disputed. Joseph Boyden is best known for writing about First Nations culture ...

. Joseph’s maternal grandfather, as well as an uncle on his father’s side, served as soldiers during the First World War, and Boyden draws upon a wealth of family narratives. This novel follows the journey of two young

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

men, Xavier and Elijah, who volunteer for that war and become

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

s during the conflict. The book was generally critically well received.

Plot

Set in 1919, following the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the novel takes place in the wilderness of

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...

and on the battlefields of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Niska, an

Oji-Cree The Oji-Cree are a First Nation in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, residing in a narrow band extending from the Missinaibi River region in Northeastern Ontario at the east to Lake Winnipeg at the west. The Oji-Cree people are des ...

medicine woman, is the remnant of her native relatives who refused to assimilate in the 19th century. She rejected European beliefs and culture and continues to thrive in the bush in a manner befitting her and her traditions. Niska’s voice is one of two narratives that complete the novel. After getting word that her closest thing to living family, Elijah, is coming back from the war, she paddles the three-day journey to meet him in town. She finds, however, that it is not Elijah but her nephew Xavier who has returned from battle. In an attempt to heal her only relative, who has clearly been sucked dry of his soul and has hardened with nightmares from the war and turned hollow by morphine, she begins to recount the stories of her past. She believes that perhaps this will revive Xavier and the Three Day Road will not be one to his demise. Similarly, Xavier attempts to stumble over his story for his aunt and unearths ghosts of his bullet-riddled past. The novel was inspired in part by real-life Indigenous World War I heroes

Francis Pegahmagabow Francis Pegahmagabow MM & two bars (; March 9, 1891 – August 5, 1952) was a Canadian First Nations soldier, politician and activist. He was the most highly decorated Indigenous soldier in Canadian military history and the most effective snip ...

and

John Shiwak John Shiwak (1889 – November 21, 1917) was a Newfoundland sniper during the First World War. He was a member of the Newfoundland Regiment and noted as one of the best snipers in the British forces during the war. Shiwak, an Inuk, lived at ...

. In addition it seems relevant that Boyden's father Raymond Wilfrid Boyden was a medical officer renowned for his bravery, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and was the most highly decorated medical officer of World War II.

The significance of the title

As Xavier, one of the protagonists reflects in the novel, the number three is especially relevant not only to Indigenous cultures but Europeans alike. It would appear to Xavier that the number three can be found everywhere. There is the front line, the support line, and the reserve line, for example. There is the infantry, the cavalry, and the artillery. In moments off battle, there is food, then rest, then women. In church, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There is even superstition about lighting three cigarettes with one match. Xavier remembers specifically though, about what his aunt Niska told him about those ready for death having to walk the Three Day Road. In the novel, we accompany Xavier on what would seem to be his Three Day Road; his journey back to his home with Niska and her stories trying to heal him.

Themes

Among other ideas the book explores the cultural gulf between European settlers in Canada and the Indigenous peoples.

Awards and recognition

* Nominee for the 2005 Governor General's Awards. * Winner of the

McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award The McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award is a Canadian literary award, presented annually since 2005 to a First Nations, Inuit or Métis writer for a work published in English in any literary genre. The author receives a cash award o ...

. * Winner of the

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers. A ...

for 2005. * Selected for inclusion in '' Canada Reads 2006'', where it was championed by

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

Nelofer Pazira. * Winner, 2006 Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award

References

{{reflist *http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=4321 *http://www.penguin.ca/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780670063628,00.html *http://www.goodreports.net/reviews/threedayroad.htm

External links

Minnesota Public Radio: Joseph Boyden reading from ''Three Day Road''
(RealAudio stream)

* ttp://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/browse.php?txtCatID=367 McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year 2005 Canadian novels Novels by Joseph Boyden Fiction set in 1919 Novels set in Northern Ontario Novels set during World War I