Blackfly Season

The novel I read was Blackfly Season, by Giles Blunt, the author of Forty Words for Sorrow, which I reviewed earlier.

Detective John Cardinal and Lise Delorme have a strange case on their hands – a young woman has wandered, bug-bitten, out of the Algonquin Bay forest with a gunshot wound to the head. Cardinal becomes obsessed with finding out who she is, and who is trying to kill her. When the dismembered body of a local biker, Wombat Guthrie, is found scattered in a cave, it seems that the two incidents might be related – and the link appears to be a drug dealer and a “healer” who calls himself Red Bear.

This novel incorporates different themes into the plot. Crime and mystery are two of the most noticeable. There was one more subtle one, which was the use of drugs throughout. Red Bear, who is the one who had Wombat Guthrie killed and tried to kill the young woman, makes a living off drug dealing and telling fortunes. As the plot progresses, things begin to get more suspenseful and violent. Even Red Bear’s associates are beginning to feel nervous around him, and feel that their own lives might be in danger.

The book is written in third person perspective, which is an effective tool because it allows for jumping back and forth between people. Dramatic irony is found commonly throughout the novel. This creates suspense for the reader because certain things happen that other characters in the book don’t know about… yet.

One piece of symbolism that I found was the relation of the horrible blackflies to the ruthlessness of some of the killers in the book.

Overall, Giles Blunt wrote another amazing piece of crime fiction literature that is exciting, mysterious, and creates suspense. The plot is straightforward yet unexpected, and characters are exhibited well. 

The Red Badge of Courage

The novel that I chose for this book review was The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane. Henry Fleming, a raw Union Army recruit in the American Civil war, is anxious to confirm his patriotism and manhood – the earn his “badge of courage”. Before enlisting, Henry’s thoughts of war and battle are those of valiant struggles for life and death; the possibility of cowardice does not arise in his initial thoughts of battle. However, his mother’s speech leaves much more room for interpreting his own future struggles. The naive boy expects war to be just like the classics he has read of the ancient world. Little does he know, it is quite different.

Courage is the main theme in this story. Given the novel’s title, it is no surprise that courage – defining it, desiring it, and, ultimately, achieving it – is the most important element of the narrative. As the novel opens, Henry’s understanding of courage is traditional. Henry’s understanding of courage has more to do with the praise of his peers than any internal measure of his bravery. Within the novel’s first chapter, Henry recalls his mother’s advice, which runs counter to his own notions. She cares little whether Henry earns himself a praiseworthy name; instead, she instructs him to meet his responsibilities honestly and squarely, even if it means sacrificing his own like. This kicks starts the use of the theme throughout the novel. At the end of the novel, as the mature Henry comes away from battle, he has a more subtle and more sophisticated thought of what courage really is.

Instead of being written in first person from Henry’s perspective, as some may assume, the novel is written in third person, which gave opportunities for the reader to see things from a larger perspective. This allowed the read to find out what other people were thinking of doing.

There was one significant piece of symbolism in this novel. The red badge – The red badge, a bloodstain, was a symbol of courage for other soldiers, however, for Henry, it becomes a sign of cowardice since he received his from a fight with another union soldier after deserting.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel. It is an exhilarating novel, and really gives a sense of realism to the reader and the novel itself.