Emma Hooper

Fieldnotes:
Saskatchewan, Great Depression/WWII & Present (p.2018)

2 Narratives
3 Perspective Characters
1 Farmer Boy with Difficulty Writing
1 New Arrival on the Neighboring Farm
1 Terrible Farming Accident
1 Pretty Young School Teacher

Saskatchewan
1 Very Long Walk
1 Coyote Companion Singing Cowboy Songs
Papier Mache Menagerie
Unexpected Celebrity

WWII Trauma
1 Love Triangle (ish)
Mental Illness

The Short Version
Told in dual timelines and from different points of view, this is the story of Etta (a show more schoolteacher), her husband Otto, their neighbor Russell and James (a coyote who may or may not be real). In her 80s, one morning Etta - who has memory issues - sets off walking from their dusty farm in Saskatchewan headed east to the ocean. It is Otto's turn to wait for her - paralleling when she waited for him when he was fighting overseas in WWII.

This is odd but charming, the quirks of the isolated farm folk largely accepted (what else can you do, really, with so little company). In some ways it felt like an updated, grown-up Little House book even though set in the 30s, and the modern trek across the continent was reflective and meditative in a folktale sort of way (with the addition of a coyote who sings cowboy songs). The WWII sections with the letters being sent back and forth in batches were just the sort of thing I like. We cut back and forth between characters, between timelines - just existence. Otto learning to fend for himself through trial and error helped by recipe cards Etta left him. Etta's relationship with the ocean she's seeking as a place that heralds loss (her sister, the many young men sent across to France). Childhood on the farm running around with the neighbor boy. Fierce loyalty. Subtext left as subtext. A colloquial, forthright tone (like Mattie from True Grit though less funny) I was convinced I would love this.

And I did - until the last quarter or so where I felt the story ran out of steam/patience and so heavy-handedly stuck in a message about Etta losing herself/her personality in Otto and his trauma and no longer felt natural, and while I don't mind an ending not tied up in a bow, I disliked the ambiguity of this one.

Still - I'd recommend it to those who don't mind their novels going philosophical and ambiguous. show less

Etta and Otto and Russell and James - Hooper
Audio performance - by Robert G. Slade
4 stars

Has anyone else noticed there seems to be a growing sub-genre of books about adventurous elderly people? They are all out there; Harold Fry, Lillian Boxfish, Allan Karlsson, and now 81-one-year- old Etta. Mostly they walk. They go on pilgrimage. They pursue their own personal quests toward their own quirky goals. I’m keeping my eyes open. I feel like I might run into them when I’m out walking my show more dog.

Etta is married to Otto. Russell is their neighbor and lifelong companion. James is a coyote. Etta begins to have trouble sleeping. She seems to be having Otto’s disturbing dreams of WW2 combat trauma. She decides that it will be best if she goes away. She wants to see the ocean. She decides to walk across Saskatchewan to the sea. Otto waits for her at home. Russell goes after her. James, the coyote, talks to her as they walk. All of them think about the past.

I loved the characters in this book. I loved their salt-of-the-earth solid decency. I loved that way this book blended harsh reality, sweet nostalgia, and just the right touch of quirky magical realism. In the end it’s hard to know what part of Etta’s journey is real and what is not. That’s probably all for the best. show less

Amazing writing! The world is falling apart around this Newfoundland family because the cod are gone, but the narrative does not feel hopeless. Instead, there is an easy coast calm, a peace, an optimism that is unique to that part of the country and conveyed in the style of writing. I don't really know what it is about the style, but it was the writing that kept me in the story, more than the story itself. It is the story of a family battered by many storms but still enduring. There is a show more touch of whimsy because of the children's imagination and tenacity. The parents are disconnected from their childhood selves as only adulthood can make one not child-like, but their backstory is also charming. A delightful sorrowful read. show less

A tender, sensitive story about 82-year-old Etta who always wanted to see the sea. One morning she left her Saskatchewan home, family and friends, to walk there, taking a rifle and chocolate and wearing her best boots. She left a pile of recipe cards so that Otto would know how to look after himself. Otto stayed at home and wrote letters to her, none ever posted. The events are so beautifully unlikely, like a fairy tale mixed with reality, with memories of long ago, a coyote who talks and show more sings cowboy songs, and the rhythmic text contributing to the feeling of fable. I listened to the audio version with Robert G. Slade’s terrific reading highlighting the dream-like quality. This debut novel is a meditation on marriage, friendship, and obliquely, the final exit. Highly recommended. show less