Good grief. I don’t even know where to start. Story. Sadness. Character. I was so involved in this story I didn’t see the ending coming, and the ending is a repeat of the first chapter of the book. Nature, human nature and all the things we think we know but don’t. There are so many things to take from “True North,” that all I can say is get it and read it.
The story contains the residue of the author’s life, but the nuance of family is what glares at me from the darkness of this book. How many things I don’t know. How I’ve misread so many others. What keeps us all going and together?
I also like the fact the book talks about bird hunting and fishing. One thing I’ve noticed about spending time in the major cities of the world is that the elite of our culture and society tend to turn their noses at such pursuits, as if these pursuits couldn’t hold any trace of value to the educated world.(While they buy packaged meat at Whole Foods.) I find the opposite to be true. I’ve done extensive amounts of bird hunting and fishing and know the value of these activities. I’ve cleaned and eaten the birds and done the same to the unsuspecting fish. Anyone who enjoys these things knows that half the reward is just being in the location there hunting or fishing is possible, and we also understand what these locations do to our soul. There isn’t anything quite like it and Harrison sums it up beautifully. “True North” is worth the time and effort.