History and Remembrance: the Themes of The Englishman's Boy

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great, haunting prose, wonderful characters and interesting mixture of the past and present.

Cons: Some may find it "a bit slow to get going."

The Bottom Line: 
-

Author's Review
Guy Vanderhaeghe has been quoted as saying "Film shapes the historical consciousness of many people." As a Canadian author, Guy Vanderhaeghe is interested in the themes of history, memory and remembrance. And in his novel The Englishman's Boy these themes are woven together in a tale that takes a look at the real history of the old west, and how it was recorded in so many Hollywood films.

Wonderful character development is another staple of a Guy Vanderhaeghe novel. Their actions, thoughts and emotions are thoroughly explored through the first person, memorative narration by the main character, Harry Vincent. How responsible is Harry Vincent for the outcome of the novel? Could he have lead the novel in a different direction by avoiding what inevitably happens?

The Englishman's Boy weaves together Harry Vincent's present life in the 1950s, to his remembering his time in Hollywood during the 1920s and how Hollywood wanted to remember the events of the old west, specifically one of the most brutal events of the old West - the Cypress Hills Massacre.

Vanderhaeghe won the Governor General's Award for Fiction, Canada's highest literary honour for writing The Englishman's Boy. It has also won many other awards and has been critically acclaimed across North America. It's a haunting read, with its scenes of the old west will live with you long after you've read the book. And most importantly, this book will make you think. So read it today - again and again - you won't regret it =)

Grade: A

NOTE: Guy Vanderhaeghe is the author of many novels, short stories and stageplays and he is currently working on a screenplay for The Englishman's Boy.