Three Day Road [Paperback]

Joseph Boyden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2006

Set in Canada and the battlefields of France and Belgium, Three-Day Road is a mesmerizing novel told through the eyes of Niska—a Canadian Oji-Cree woman living off the land who is the last of a line of healers and diviners—and her nephew Xavier.

At the urging of his friend Elijah, a Cree boy raised in reserve schools, Xavier joins the war effort. Shipped off to Europe when they are nineteen, the boys are marginalized from the Canadian soldiers not only by their native appearance but also by the fine marksmanship that years of hunting in the bush has taught them. Both become snipers renowned for their uncanny accuracy. But while Xavier struggles to understand the purpose of the war and to come to terms with his conscience for the many lives he has ended, Elijah becomes obsessed with killing, taking great risks to become the most accomplished sniper in the army. Eventually the harrowing and bloody truth of war takes its toll on the two friends in different, profound ways. Intertwined with this account is the story of Niska, who herself has borne witness to a lifetime of death—the death of her people.

In part inspired by the legend of Francis Pegahmagabow, the great Indian sniper of World War I, Three-Day Road is an impeccably researched and beautifully written story that offers a searing reminder about the cost of war.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Joseph Boyden's first novel is the story of two Cree friends, Xavier and Elijah, who leave their pristine northern country to end up in the horrific trenches of World War I. Loosely based on the real life of a famous Canadian sniper, the story is told from two first-person views: those of Xavier and his old aunt and only living relative, Niska. After the war, Niska is taking her wounded nephew back home north to the bush in a canoe. Their trip is the three-day road of the title, which also refers to the journey taken after death. The story of the war is told in flashbacks on this journey as Xavier recovers from morphine addiction. Niska also relates various stories to Xavier, believing there is "medicine in the tale."

Boyden is a natural storyteller. Both the Native tales of the north and the grim accounts of the war in France and Belgium have the ring of truth. His images can be subtly appropriate--raiders who go over the top are "eaten by the night"--and his characterizations are excellent, especially the three main players and Xavier's Canadian trenchmates. Eventually, Elijah seems to feed on the death all around him, becoming a "windigo," while Xavier begins to question the sanity of the war and his friend's growing madness, realizing "we all fight on two fronts, the one facing the enemy, the one facing what we do to the enemy." Not for the squeamish reader, this is a powerful novel that takes a new angle on a popular subject, "the war to end all wars." --Mark Frutkin, Amazon.ca --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. When Cree Indians Xavier Bird and Elijah Whiskeyjack join the Canadian Army in 1915, they expect to go to France, become warriors and kill Germans. What they don't expect is that the war will drive one of them mad and make the other a morphine-addicted cripple. This is Boyden's first novel (after the story collection Born with a Tooth), a powerful tale of two young men numbed by the horrors and brutality of trench warfare. Boyden vividly portrays the chaos, fear, cowardice and courage of infantrymen condemned to wallow in the mud and blood of the Western Front. Best friends Xavier and Elijah are both expert sharpshooters and, using the field craft they learned hunting in the forests of Hudson Bay, quickly become accomplished snipers. Elijah is outgoing and boastful, while Xavier is quiet and reserved, but both are deadly efficient soldiers. A parallel story line tells of Niska, Xavier's aunt, a Cree Indian prophet and healer, as she tells of the sad decline of Cree culture and waits for her nephew to come home. As the war drags on, one of the men's addiction to drugs and killing causes him to take extreme risks; when he finally commits murder to hide the ugly truth, his friend sees only one solution to save his own soul. Friendship is riven with resentment and war is stripped of glory in this remarkable, wrenching novel, the work of a gifted storyteller. Agent, Nicole Winstanley at Westwood Creative Artists (Toronto). 6-city author tour. (May 9)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143037072
• ISBN-13: 978-0143037071
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Canadian

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely terrific!, July 20, 2006

By 

Richard E. Hourula (Berkeley, CA. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Day Road (Paperback)

"Three Day Road" is one of the best novels I've read in years. Author Joseph Boyden has created some of the more memorable characters of recent fiction. In particular the main protagonist, Xavier is so clearly drawn as to seem someone I know.

The story switches back and forth from the wilds of Canada to the horrors of the Western Front in World War I. In Canada are the old ways, living off the land as so many ancestors before, recognizing rituals and beliefs of generations past. In Europe conversely is the new world, with all the modern weapons of death and destruction -- machine guns, tanks, poison gas airplanes and more.

Through Xavier's aunt Niska we learn of Cree life and how the encroachment of whites and their culture was brining it to end and about Xavier's troubled but ultimately happy upbringing with his friend Elijah.

Xavier also reflects on his youth but primarily details the life of a soldier and all the consequent miseries brought about by everything from lice and fleas to night raids and incessant bombings.

Boyden writes as good a battle scene as you will ever read and I must add writes some of the best sex scenes on paper.

"Three Day Road" is a story with many layers covering a number of themes, among them the true natures friendship, loyalty, spirituality and loss. No mean feat in a single novel.

Xavier and especially Elijah gain fame as snipers racking up seemingly countless kills. The killings come to consume Elijah and claim his soul. Xavier is more detached and as the war progresses longs to return home. Their exploits and how it effects each and their relationship is central to the book. As is Niska's lonely but fruitful life and her profound influence on Xavier.

I highly recommend "Three Day Road" to anyone with even a passing interest in the first world war, the culture of the Cree but most especially to anyone looking for a compelling novel that will inspire them to think.

Through Xavier's aunt Niska we learn of Cree life and how the encroachment of whites and their culture was brining it to end and about Xavier's troubled but ultimately happy upbrining.

Xavier also refelcts on his youth but primarly details the life of a soldier and all the consquents miseries brought about by everything from lice and fleas to night raids and incessant bombings.

Boyden writes as good a battle scence as you will ever read and I must add writes some of the best sex scenes on paper.

"Three Day Road" is a story with many layers covering a number of themes among them the true natures freindship, loyalty and spirituality and loss. No mean feat in a single novel.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Close and personal, August 6, 2006

By 

Friederike Knabe (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Day Road (Paperback)

Linking Cree hunting stories with World War I frontline accounts would seem an odd undertaking, to say the least. The wild Canadian North with its harsh yet beautiful landscape and tough living conditions for those surviving off the land is a far cry - physically and spiritually - from the trenches and the killing fields of Ypres and the Somme. Yet, Boyden has successfully merged these seemingly disparate themes through his telling of the life stories of the three protagonists: Xavier, Elijah and Niska. The two young friends, looking for adventure, joined the war effort while Niska carries on her life as the last Oji-Cree medicine woman. The story is told from different perspectives, moving backwards and forwards in time. The outcome is an engrossing narrative that interweaves the disturbing description of WWI horrors in the trenches with the rich and multifaceted recollections of the protagonists' lives and their emotions and experiences of the past.

"Taking the Three Day Road", the traditional Cree reference to dying, takes on new meaning here, both literally and spiritually. The journey home in Niska's canoe through the lush forests and on the winding river provides the backdrop to her efforts to bring one of the friends home, physically and mentally deeply wounded. Her personal recollections and stories of their past lives are set against the nightmarish dreaming of the returning soldier. Will Niska be able to soothe the mind, will the medicine be strong enough to heal him from the agony of war?

The two young Cree started out with eagerness to fight in the war, having honed their tracking and shooting skills in the bush killing animals for food and ceremony. Their very different characters emerge clearly as they leave the familiar territory. As they began their journey, their friendship helped them to complement each others strength to get through numerous challenges, such as the language barrier, their inexperience in urban and barrack life, the discrimination facing them. As their talent as trackers and snipers are increasingly recognized by their superiors, despite their prejudice against Indians, the two are sent on increasingly daring missions. Their reputation grows as they take out more enemy snipers than anybody else. Xavier and Elijah respond very differently to the pressure and violence. One hates his role on the killing fields and is retreating into himself, the other is thriving on the experience and the attention he garners. Their friendship is seriously tested and the tension between them reaches breaking point. How can they salvage the friendship that they had? How can they survive in the hell of the trenches? How do they cope with loosing their comrades and being wounded themselves? Will they be able to reconcile the upbringing on the land, guided by Niska, with the brutality of their war experiences?

Boyden is an outstanding story teller and his skill of creating realistic and lively personalities is admirable. This not only applies to the three protagonists, but also to several of their comrades and their superiors. Boyden establishes a wide-ranging portrait of the people and the extreme conditions they were exposed to during this war. It is evident that that author undertook extensive research into the intricate details of WWI war fare. It can easily stand among the best of its kind. The author adds additional depth through Niska's story, connecting the reader intimately to Cree culture and mythology. Niska's voice stays with you for a long time. Despite the topic, this is a beautifully written, memorable book. [Friederike Knabe]

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where is Home?, June 11, 2005

By 

Scott N. Mcleod (Deep in the Heart of Zorra Township, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Day Road (Hardcover)

I've heard it said that you shouldn't let the facts get in the way of a great story. One reviewer thought there were better WW1 stories and I'm sure that's true but this is the story of two native soldiers who weren't always soldiers. They had a home on the outskirts of someone else's - occupying strangers with equally strange ways.You weren't good enough unless you were white and no matter how hard you try you can't do it. People only see your skin colour and draw their own pictures. Xavier and Elijah stood out from the other soldiers - being Canadian helped and being true shots (snipers) made them legends, but like a drop of ink in clear water something invades the picture.We get a clear picture of trench life and the walking ghosts it created. The Aunt has her own ghosts to deal with and the power she got from her father. So are you curious yet? I wanted to take all three characters the aunt and Xavier and Elijah home and make them soup and listen to their stories. I miss them now that the book is done.The ending has hope that home was found where it usually starts in the heart. This book maybe hyped but so what? Read and believe the next Canada Reads Book selection. I've got to read it again.