Part of the inaugural Kanata Classics list, with a new introduction by David A. Robertson, Medicine Walk is an unforgettable journey of a father and son, set in the dramatic landscape of the BC Interior. This new edition features the first chapter of the author’s last novel, Starlight.
Franklin Starlight is called to visit his father, Eldon. He's sixteen years old and has had the most fleeting of relationships with the man. The rare moments they've shared haunt and trouble Frank, but he answers the call, a son's duty to a father. What ensues is a journey through the rugged and beautiful backcountry, and a journey into the past, as the two men push forward to Eldon's end. From a poverty-stricken childhood, to the Korean War, and later the derelict houses of mill towns, Eldon relates both the desolate moments of his life and a time of redemption and love, and in doing so offers Frank a history he has never known, the father he has never had, and a connection to himself he never expected.
A novel about love, friendship, courage, and the idea that the land has within it powers of healing, Medicine Walk reveals the ultimate goodness of its characters and offers a deeply moving and redemptive conclusion. Wagamese's writing soars and his insight and compassion are matched by his gift of communicating these to the reader.
Steinbeck Esque
"Really good story telling, one of Wagamese's best. This is a great father-son story, in many ways fits alongside other such stories like The Kite Runner. This has an Indigenous grounding, yet the real story is about fractured relationships and the struggle to find a way forward. Easy read, though a number of jumps in time (flahsbacks) and this slow narration and prose style works in what feels a bit like it would fit right in with other writers like John Steinbeck, though much more modern context and feel."
