Jocelyne Saucier

The twenty-one Cardinals grew up in the mining town of Norcoville, Quebec where they were like an unbridled law unto themselves:

We were the kings. The real deal. We wanted so much for ourselves and from life that everything around us seemed pathetic

The original mine had been discovered by their father who had almost a sixth sense for discovering valuable deposits but no business sense in exploiting them. The kids, who are all known by nicknames (eg. Geronimo, Old Maid, Mustang, and show more Caboose), spent much of their childhoods finding often destructive ways to protect what they saw as their father’s rightful property. Eventually the mine shuts down and the Cardinals are scattered to the ends of the earth. Now, thirty years later, they are reuniting, with one important exception, at a mining conference at which their father is to be honoured. But they have a secret that will surely be outed now that they are together. The narrative shifts between several of the children as we learn their and their siblings’ stories, their role in the secret, and how it has impacted their lives ever since.

Twenty-One Cardinals is by French Canadian author Jocelyne Saucier and translated from the French by Rhonda Mullins. This is a beautifully written and compelling tale of a family, once completely self-contained, torn apart by a dark secret, trying to learn to forgive. It combines a coming-of-age tale and a fascinating mystery infused with humour and social commentary with a huge cast of characters who, despite the number, are fully realized individuals who easily grab the sympathy of the reader. It is an original, poignant, and, often, dark tale of family loyalties, secrets, and tragedy, what can break them and what can pull them together again. As the one nicknamed Foster Child points out

Family is an encounter with the deepest parts of our soul

A book to be read slowly, to be savoured, and to be returned to often. show less

Another book that I would not have read if not for Canada Reads. Even when I don't like the selections (as in When Everything Seems Like the Movies from this year) I have to admit that Canada Reads gets people reading Canadian books. This is one gem that I am glad got forced on my consciousness.

A photographer is searching for people that survived the Great Fires that raged through Northern Ontario in the early part of the 20th century. Almost everyone she has talked to has mentioned Ted (or show more Ed or Edward) Boychuk who survived the Great Matheson Fire of 1916 and wandered around, half-blind, for days after. She has finally tracked him down to a small gathering of old men only to find out that he had died recently. She talks to the two remaining men but only learns that Ted very seldom talked and never about the fire. Seems like she has hit a dead end but when she returns to the small community with pictures that she took of one of the dogs she finds that a woman has been ensconced. The woman, Marie-Desneiges, spent all of her adult years in mental health institutions and none of her family visited her. In fact, it was only on the death of her brother that her existence became known to other family members. Her nephew decided to spirit her away to this small community rather than return her to the institution. The nephew was familiar with the men living there because he had a marijauna plantation near their cabins. Although Marie-Desneiges spent all that time in institutions she seems fairly normal. However, she can see things that others can't and when she sees the paintings that Boychuk left behind she immediately understands the story they are telling. The photographer decides to mount an exhibition of Boychuk's paintings and her pictures of the survivors.

For such a slim book (only about 150 pages) there is a lot packed into it and I found I was reading slowly so as to enjoy the storylines. Enjoy the historical details while watching a love story develop. Once you are done you will have a lot to ponder about old age and modern healthcare and drug use and art and so much more. show less

I am still enshrouded in the gentle mood this book covered me with like a fur blanket. This tale of elderly men in the forest, the survivors of a terrible fire, and the photographer who weaves the stories and art together is so atmospheric I can feel the mosquitoes, hear the gentle sounds of the lake, smell the woodsmoke.

There’s something intoxicating about the idea of going off grid, off the screen, and just living as one wishes away from all the disasters about- especially now. Not that show more life for these people is idyllic- each has a burden, each has a designated way out.

Amongst this and the destruction of lives wrought by the fire, comes a love, one that warms the heart more than a wood fire. A gentle, amazingly deep love.

The title, “and the birds rained down” is so evocative- it reminds me of Helen Humphreys story of the frozen birds in her book “The Frozen Thames”- something about birds being damaged by events seems so startling, so indicative of the all encompassing nature of a disaster...

Please read this book. You won’t ever forget it. show less

Three older men are living off the grid in the woods of Northern Ontario. The men want to live (and die) on their own terms. Two younger men, growing a marijuana crop, are their only contact with the outside world. A woman photojournalist (who serves as narrator) arrives to interview people who survived the massive fires in the region in the early twentieth century. The interviewees mention a man called Boychuk who survived the Great Matheson Fire of 1916, and she wants to find him. The show more storyline reveals the different reasons the men are living in the wilderness. The arrival of another older woman, who had been living in a mental institution, changes their lives. This is a quiet novel with lovely depictions of the natural setting. It also describes the destruction caused by wildfires. The characters are an eccentric bunch. It is poignant and lyrically written. I read the English translation from the original French. It is a novel that inspires reflection on the benefits of living a simpler life. show less