The Island Walkers

(Paperback, Export/Airside ed)

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Description

For generations, the Walkers have lived in the Island, a small, working class mill-town beside Ontario's Attawan River. But in the summer of 1965 their peace is shattered. When a union organiser comes to town, Alf Walker is forced to choose between loyalty to his friends and advancement up the company ranks. His decision threatens to overwhelm not only his own life, but also his family.

Through the course of the book, we come to know the Walkers intimately - Alf, as he attempts to keep ahead of these turbulent events; his son Joe, whose world is overturned by the passion and uncertainty of young love; and his wife Margaret, who must reconcile her English upbringing with the world in which she finds herself.

The Island Walkers is a deeply moving novel of a family struggling to make its way through a changing world. Written with remarkable understanding and perception, it reveals a writer of rare vision and accomplishment.

Reviews

An extraordinary debut novel . . . an exceptional storytelling talent - Toronto Globe and Mail

The Island Walkers is a well-written, well-constructed novel. John Bemrose's characters are so firmly established they are permitted occasionally to act against type. They live as real people live. - Times Literary Supplement

In The Island Walkers, John Bemrose tells a compelling human story with such an unmistakable sense of place that the reader could be forgiven for wondering why we haven't heard of this clearly accomplished novelist before...[this] beautifully crafted debut novel...should earn [Bemrose] a place in the Canlit pantheon - The Edmonton Journal

A compelling tale ... Peppered with poetic descriptions and loaded imagery, John Bemrose's novel is beautifully written ... It's not all doom and gloom, with moments of wild abandon and joy often bursting unexpectedly into the picture to ease the tension ... Moving, warm and ultimately positive - The List

The storyline is taut, almost unbearably so at times, from the opening pages - Maclean's

This is a lyrical novel with a strong sense of place. - Newbooksmag

The book casts an irresistible spell - Northern Woman

A closely knit family drama ... achieves a real lyrical power, bolstered by a delicately understated prose style - The Times

Author Bio

John Bemrose is a well-known arts journalist in Canada. He grew up in Ontario, the place that inspired the setting for The Island Walkers, and now lives in Toronto. He has also lived in London. The Island Walkers is his first novel, and he is at work on his second.