Grain (New Canadian Library) Review

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Grain (New Canadian Library) ReviewRobert Stead (1880-1959) wrote "Grain" as an ode to the hardscrabble life of the western Canadian farmer. The author, born in Ontario, lived in the Canadian West before moving to Ottawa where he served in the government. Stead worked as a journalist during his time in Alberta and Manitoba, but his importance today comes from his career as a novelist and poet. His first collection of poetry appeared in 1908, his first novel in 1914. "Grain" came later, in 1926, and is his best known book. Once again, the New Canadian Library Series does a great job of bringing obscure works by Canadian authors to the attention of a wider, and sometimes American, audience.
Stead's book tells the story of William "Gander" Stake, a farmer working the land near Plainville, Manitoba. The author begins his tale with the birth of William, born in 1896 in the harsh conditions of a lightly civilized landscape. As Gander grows up, he learns the ins and outs of life on the farm, a life full of dangers as well as family and friends. Young William hunts, argues with his older brother Jackie, seeks to win the approval of his hard working father Jackson, and meets his life long sweetheart Jo Burge at the local schoolhouse. When Jackie eventually abandons the farm to seek out the city, Gander works even harder to help his father manage the farm. Success comes slowly until World War I breaks out, leading to sky high prices for wheat that allows the Stake family to buy an automobile, build a decent house, and expand their land holdings. Gander even gets to spend some time working on Bill Powers's threshing machine.
William Stake keeps an eye out for Jo too, although his refusal to join the army and fight in Europe leads to a rupture that ultimately results in Jo choosing another man as her husband. As the war progresses and a few locals die in the fighting, Gander throws himself with unusual vigor into the planting and harvesting of the wheat crop. Although the government acknowledges the importance of growing more food than the enemy, Gander undergoes a crisis of conscience about not enlisting. Jo's disapproving stance does nothing to remedy the situation. After the war, Gander continues to work the land while pining for his lost love. Even the introduction of an intriguing city girl and turmoil over a hired hand and his mysterious son are mere diversions in his devotion to Jo.
Gander may not be the brightest penny in the pocket, but he strives for solidity in his work and in his personal life. It isn't his fault people and events continually seek to upset his equilibrium. Jo and the war are the two biggest problems Gander faces, but others intrude as well. There is Bill, a farmhand with ideas that threaten to upset Gander's sensibilities. Then there is brother Jackie, the wayward older brother whose possible return could displace Gander in the hierarchy of the Stake farm. The lure of the city always lurks in the background, the urban life that sucks the vitality out of the countryside and subverts the values of rural life. All of these possibilities array themselves against Gander, and only his innate sense of nature and responsibility protect him. In a finale that may or may not be heroic, even the stoic Gander collapses under the lure of external pressures.
The appeal of "Grain" is the realism of Stead's story, referred to here as "prairie realism." The intricate detail places the reader directly into the world of Gander Stake and his surroundings. Lush descriptions of the environment jockey with the crude vernacular of the residents of Plainville. An entire chapter describes in minute detail the workings of a threshing machine. The stacking of hay bundles becomes in Stead's hands a sort of architecture of the plains. By hewing as close to reality as possible, Stead's book serves as a testament to a way of life that, if not long gone, is at the very least quickly disappearing.
I have read four of these New Canadian Library books and have yet to be disappointed with what I have found. These are great stories that deserve resurrection from the cloistered prison of dusty library bookshelves and the wastelands of stuffy academia. Hopefully, this Canadian Series will continue to publish more Stead novels in the near future.Grain (New Canadian Library) Overview

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