| Dennis Bock follows up his award-winning debut novel, The Ash Garden, with another mid-century piece on war, The Communist’s Daughter (Random House, 322 pp.). This time, Bock draws on the character of Canadian icon Norman Bethune. Set as a series of letters written by Bethune to his daughter, Bock attempts to reveal the inner mind and motivation of one of Canada’s most enduring heroes. Giving a daughter to the childless Bethune may raise the eyebrows of some more historically minded critics, but Bock defends himself, pointing to evidence that Bethune might have fathered a child with Kajsa, a presumed Swedish spy, with whom he had a brief affair during the Spanish Civil War.
The focus, however, is not on the daughter, who does not make an appearance, but Bethune’s letters. Aside from retelling episodes of his life, they are filled with the optimism and hope that committed individuals can bring about change in the world, giving a personality and a heart to a man most Canadians only know abstractly. Bock’s vivid imagery is given full rein, as the locations flit from Spain to Canada and China, from the inside of airplanes, luxury oceanliners, and finally, Bethune’s dreary field tents, ensconced deep in the Chinese countryside.
Dennis Bock will be reading on October 11 as part of Wednesday Night Glitz! at the Vertigo Playhouse (Tower Centre). |
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