THE BRIG AND THE CAPE
Andrew Buckley's novel "The Bostoner" by Stage Harbour Press interweaves historical fiction with a modern-day
psychological thriller. The primary thrust of the story tracks John Miles Kendrick as he searches for the
schizophrenic murderer "The Bostoner" as reflected in the title. The book is split into three main parts: the first
is from a third person perspective, the second changes to first person as Miles Kendrick sets out on an inter-continental
journey to find evidence and the third part continues the first person narrative as it speeds to conclusion.
The main strength of this novel lies in the tactile descriptions of its protagonist and locations. Whether commenting
on the straggling trees of Cape Cod's sand and clay or each glistening of water off Kendrick's hair, Buckley rouses
all the senses from smell to touch. It would be quite easy to become confused and lost in the myriad of locations touched
upon in the novel, but each is explained in loving or scornful detail and in keeping with the overall historical emphasis
of the book. At the same time, the novel does not become bogged down with prose but keeps a lively balance of dialogue and intrigue.
As fascinating as the breaks of narrative to explain Kendrick's ancestor are, they often interrupt the flow of the writing.
Had there been only a few ventures into the 1700s it would have been intruiging and a welcome shift, but they came so brief and
often it felt more like a jolt. It was difficult to pick up where the story left off, and often required flipping back a few
pages to where the modern narrative ended before picking it up again after the inserted historical flashback. Had they been
fewer and longer, or perhaps in separate chapters, it might not have been so grating. It felt as though two separate
novels were vying for attention, rather than one cohesive whole. If this is an abstract experimental fiction-- two time
periods intersecting and fading in and out is deliberate. For the general audience, in a book of
this length, it is simply confusing. I cannot comment on how an average reader would respond to the flashbacks, because
although they were broken up and scattered throughout the book, I was already familiar with the story and had no trouble
following it. To a reader coming at the original Captain Kendrick history cold, I believe there was too
much information at once to quite digest and certainly too much to also keep track of the modern storyline as well. It
felt rather like reading "War & Peace" with its multitude of locations, characters and assumed a priori knowledge of the historical
events alluded to.
There were several overarching themes to the novel, but the one which captured my attention was the bias of history. Rather than
take a cliché conspiracy approach to the Captain Kendrick story, Buckley concentrated more on historians' influence upon it.
Howay, one of the original historians involved with finding documents on Captain Kendrick, and whose works sit mere feet from where
I write, was clearly in favour of Kendrick's rival captain. As a result, most scholarly efforts since have retained that bias in
varying degrees. The modern protagonist, John Miles Kendrick, becomes incensed at this unfair treatment of his relation in history.
Buckley has chosen to write all the flashbacks free of Howay's influence and has liberally painted Captain Kendrick in an entirely
new light. Unfortunately, this is at the expense of several other figures of history who have been treated in a similiar fashion--
such as Robert Haswell. I think it admirable to consider Captain Kendrick's story from his point of view, although I do hope readers
will not take the narrative as pure fact. There were far worse slurs against Haswell in this novel than Howay ever levelled against
Captain Kendrick. I think it important, particularly for non-historians, to read Buckley's work, if nothing else so that they will
think before blindly trusting their history books. Even books by eminent historians such as Howay.
As a woman, I noticed a heavy masculine influence in the novel. That is not necessarily a bad thing, however Miles Kendrick tended
to view each female he met as a potential object of his pleasure. His first thoughts were whether she would be intimate with
him, and whether he would allow it. This was especially augmented during the cross-country drive when apparently he had a woman in
every state. After the first few encounters, one could put it aside as "boys will be boys" but by the time Miles Kendrick reached
Vancouver, it was difficult not to be entirely disgusted with him, and rather soured the ending of the book. After his preditorial
and cold-hearted conquest of one woman after another, Shelly's presence at the close was far from pleasant. This novel
is most definitely not for anyone under 21 and has more encounters than "Tom Jones". The dialogue is liberally peppered with language
in both the modern narrative and flashbacks. When Captain Kendrick swore, that was merely in character from Haswell's account, but it is
rather tiresome to have to wince with every oath when they come every few sentences. From a purely technical standpoint, the use of
all caps became overbearing as well. With the older generations it is not a problem, but most young people have grown up with the
internet where caps means an angry shout that has broken more than one online friendship. Seeing it used so often was disturbing.
The mystery aspect of the novel was extremely well crafted. I pride myself in having solved every "Miss Marple" in existance, yet I
was not ready for the reveal at the end of Buckley's work. Looking back the clues were there. Despite the overwhelming rush of
information contained in a mere 439 pages, the plot itself was tight and flawless. Without withholding evidence, Buckley managed
to put across the idea that the schizophrenic "Bostoner" could be Miles himself, as well as several other characters,
right up to the final pages.
The pacing as the climax and denouement loomed was quick without confusion, and the involvement of Captain Kendrick's brig Lady
Washington came as a pleasant surprise. Without spoiling the conclusion, I must say Lady Washington herself might be
morbidly proud of this novel.
Buckley's work is adult in nature, but if this does not bother you, I would recommend giving it at least a try. Before delving into
"The Bostoner", look into the history of Captain Kendrick and Lady Washington. It will help with getting
through the flashback sequences-- or perhaps skip them entirely and continue to the next portion of the modern narrative. While being
highly interesting in themselves, they aren't necessary to further the plot of the story. Before railing against "The Bostoner" for its
flashbacks,
think of it as two novels for the price of one. Buckley's reconstruction of the history of Captain Kendrick is an exciting read, as is
the main plot of "The Bostoner".
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By Alexa Chipman: 3 June, 2008