Dream Keeper: A Novel of Myth and Destiny in the Pacific Northwest [Hardcover]

Morrie Ruvinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2000

Set in both the past and the present, Dream Keeper invokes the spirits of the First Peoples, weaving the legacy of the pioneers and the trials of love and family into a wildly imaginative and thoroughly entertaining read. Destiny has a way of catching up with you. And this is how destiny, fate, and the setting right of the world caught up with Jason Ondine, even after two hundred years. It begins when a cold, blue body is hauled from icy Pacific waters. Far from dead Jason Ondine was chosen two centuries ago by the Sisters of Creation-a cantankerous trio of spirits who oversee the worlds of water, earth, and sky-to become one of the immortals. He is set on a quest and a mission to rebalance old injustices, to secure the life of the son he knows nothing about, and to see an ancient dream come true.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When a fishing boat pulls a naked, wounded man from the cold Pacific waters, the crew is shocked to find him still alive; even more perplexing, the large shark bite in his abdomen mysteriously heals itself. So begins this fluid, engaging first novel, which weaves together Native American folklore and mythology, pioneer history and contemporary times. The victim turns out to be Jason Ondine, a white man who was adopted as an orphan an incredible 200 years before by a band of Kwakiutl Indians. On a whale hunt with the Kwakiutl, the entire hunting party dies, except for Jason, who is rescued by one of the Three Sisters of Creation and thus achieves a kind of immortality. Fearful of the boy's power, the Sisters put a double curse on him: he must live as a sea lion, and only his own son can kill him. In 1979, flute music draws Jason ashore and turns him into a man again. He falls in love with the beautiful young flautist, Lizzie, but her rich parents break up the romance, eventually committing her to a posh psychiatric institution, where she gives birth to a boy. Jason returns to the sea for 25 years before washing up in the fishermen's nets. The lovers reunite and search for their son; the circular epic wraps up with dramatic flair and spiritual vision. This mystic, satisfying work, written with grace and authority, is rich in down-to-earth prose that moves easily and convincingly between mythic lore and contemporary dialogue. 3-city author tour. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Morrie Ruvinsky is a writer/producer in Los Angeles who has made seven movies and written extensively for The Highlander television series. Originally from Toronto and Vancouver, he has studied the tribal culture and stories of the Pacific Northwest.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 271 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books; 1ST edition (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157061167X
• ISBN-13: 978-1570611674
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,763,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew it could be done?, March 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dream Keeper: A Novel of Myth and Destiny in the Pacific Northwest (Hardcover)

I read this in two sittings and couldn't wait to get back to it whenever I had to deal with something tearing me away (like eating). Somehow Ruvinsky has managed to weave together a mythological parable with a contemporary story of love and suspense. It's so hard to recommend books to friends, given everyone's idiosyncrasies, but I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't like this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dream Keeper, February 24, 2000

By 

Michael Jaffe - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Keeper: A Novel of Myth and Destiny in the Pacific Northwest (Hardcover)

A wonderfully imaginative novel incorporating an acute insight into the value of myth and mystery in our historical and cultural lives. Ruvinsky has well trained story telling skills from his life as a screenwriter, and for those so inclined, a sweet sense of the romantic. Who knows where this stuff comes from, but it is very unique and swell read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dream Keeper is a beautiful read!, May 8, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Keeper: A Novel of Myth and Destiny in the Pacific Northwest (Hardcover)

Dream Keeper is a mythic tale drawn from a blend of Northwestern Native American influences and western European and Canadian traditions. Predominant in the mix is the rich Kwakiutl Native American traditions, from which come the three Sisters of Destiny, Hanging Hair, the Thunderbird, Sedna, the Orca Whale, and Adee the Silver White-haired. One of the Sisters helps create an aberrant immortal soul by "breathing life into him." This compounds a dilemma for the Sisters, for Jason Ondine,(originally a white boy accompanying his explorer father in the 1800's to the Northwest Territory) the immortal, may grow to become something greater than even they and terrible chaos may come to the world as a result. After much haranguing,mirrored as storms in the natural world, the Sisters decide to allow Jason a great role of bearer of tradition, justice, and retribution by escape into the sea. It is unclear just how certain it is that Jason's immortality, which can be sacrificed only for his unborn son, will somehow address the imbalance of justice, reflected in the culture clash between the Kwakiutl and other Native Americans and the white settler horde. But what is beautifully established in a complex system of alternating time shifted double narrative is the idea that in the sea, for 200 years as a lordly immortal sea lion is the only safe preserve for the rich ancient stream of Kwakiutl and other Native American traditions, customs, and prehistory. There are many lyrical passages in Dream Keeper, and much of the narrative has the drifting clarity of dreamvision. One of the best passages is when Jason goes to the museum to find the bones of Dzarilaw, his Kwakiutl foster father, to rebury them in their rightful resting place. He finds the marker for Dzarilaw's grave.

Jason approached the wooden statue full of awe and trepidation. He seemed almost afraid of it, and curiously drawn by some tenacious grip reaching into his soul and dragging him closer. Lizzie watched him moving forward and thought he was moving like a boy. Tentative and uncertain, both cocky and confused. He circled the pedestal, sometimes looking at the carving, sometimes looking away. Jason circled twice. He felt his heart racing and he was as disturbed and lonely as he had ever been in those days in the village. He felt the spirit of Dzarilaw trying to comfort him. It frightened him. Girding all his considerable courage - and it felt to him like this was his defining moment, that it was the bravest thing he had ever done - he walked up to the big wooden grave marker and put both his hands on it. Near the heart. "My son," Dzarilaw said, "at last you have come for me." Jason was stunned. "You make an old man's heart soar," he continued. Jason's mind raced to keep up with itself and could not. He looked around to see if anyone else had heard Dzarilaw speak. No one had and he was relieved. He caught his breath. He felt Dzarilaw fill his heart. He felt the tears come welling up from his belly and flood from his eyes. It was agony and it was joy. "Excuse me, sir," a docent scolded, "but there is no touching." pp.200-201

There is much more to this sensitive tale to be savored. Ruvinsky writes like the screenwriter he is - the unfolding plot is very visual in its presentation. Somehow the spare, shifting narrative style conveys a sense of wonder and awe that surely is meant to mirror that of the Kwakiutl's first reverence for Creation and the Three Sisters themselves. It certainly works to hold, intensify, even mesmerize the reader. There is a leisurely dreamlike pace that enfolds passages like veils of scrim, or sea wrack. The Dream Keeper is a beautiful novel and a poignant presentation of issues of justice, repatriation, the need for sacred myth, and the need to respect and restore visions, dreams,and a rich cultural legacy. There is rich material here for mining. Don't bother waiting for the movie, read the book to make the movie in your mind. Dream Keeper is a beautiful read.

Nancy Lorraine Reviewer