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Letter to the editor

Authentic, atmospheric prose thrills

Conjuring 1867 Canada in her mind's eye: That's some vision.

By Vikram Johri, Special to the Times
Published July 15, 2007

The Tenderness of Wolves
By Stef Penney
Simon & Schuster, 384 pages, $25

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When Stef Penney revealed that her Costa Prize-winning The Tenderness of Wolves, set in 19th century Canada, had been written without a visit to the country, it caused a minor uproar. People wondered: How could a writer who had never set foot on the landmass position her novel in the snowy wilderness of the Canadian high plains? "As a reader, I feel short-changed and disappointed. When place plays an important part in a story, I expect the writer to have been there," said one critic in the Guardian.

Well, you needn't be so bothered. Penney's prose is so authentic, so very atmospheric in capturing the angels and demons of the country, that it is hard to imagine she wrote this book after doing all her research in the British Library.

This is a first-class murder mystery, which must be doubly commended considering that the setting and the time (1867) leave no chance to employ any urban noirish trappings. After Mrs. Ross discovers the body of her neighbor Laurent Jammet in his hut, the sleepy village of Caulfield wakes to the presence of a killer in its midst. Mrs. Ross' brooding son, Francis, has disappeared on the day of the murder, and the community must look within for answers.

Yet, things are not what they seem on the surface, as a Pandora's box of missing people and puzzling goings-on is opened, into which Penney takes us headlong with her shimmering prose. Corporate politics and the lucrative fur trade provide the intriguing backdrop.

One could even say that there are too many strands to the book, especially the doomed escape of one woman whose presence seems restricted to convincing the reader of Francis' sensitive side. Penney, in that sense, has paid service to her other profession as screenwriter. She perhaps hopes for the various threads to provide a cinematic blend for an interesting script. Given the depth and breadth of this wonderful work, that shouldn't be much work.

Vikram Johri is a writer in New Delhi.

[Last modified July 13, 2007, 11:58:08]