Canada by Richard Ford

Canada: A Novel, Richard Ford. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2012. e-book, 423 pps.


     Dell-- the narrator-- and Berner Parsons were twins who lived with their parents Geneva and Bev in Great Falls, Montana at the beginning of the book. The family had a series of financial reverses which caused Bev to make a decision that also did not work out well. Neeva went along with it but fought not to have their son Dell included. Then some bad things happened which profoundly altered the lives of the family members. Although Neeva had a Plan B for both Dell and Berner, those plans also blew apart. Dell learned some hard lessons along the way but through the kindness of strangers made out alright.

sapphoq reviews says: Richard Ford's Canada is a haunting book. The narrator was deliberate in explaining his observations of each character in the book. The settings in the United States and in Canada were essential to creating the mood of the narrative. Canada is a worthy addition to any thinking adult's library and a classic in its own right. Highly recommended.

Into the Abyss by Carol Shaben

Into the Abyss: An Extraordinary True Story, Carol Shaben.  New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2012 and 2013.  e-book, 295 pps. with footnotes, bibliography, and pictures.

Four men survived a snowy plane crash in 1984.  Six passengers died.  The plane was a small commuter plane that was flying in Northern Alberta on an icy and snowy night.  The author Carol Shaben is the daughter of one of the survivors.  Larry Shaben is a politician.  The other three survivors are the young pilot Eric Vogel, a cop by the name of Scott Deschamps and his prisoner Paul Archambault.  Carol Shaben's dad never talked much about the crash.  So she had to find out from the others what happened.

The pilot worked for a small company.  The pressure was on to deliver, to fly in all kinds of weather regardless of safety issues, to keep the little planes running.  So in spite of his misgivings, Eric Vogel flew the commuter plane as scheduled.  A series of mishaps added up to the disaster.  The four spent a bit of time out in the snow near the wrecked hull of the plane until rescue came.  

Once rescue came, things did not go back to the way they were before.  There was a brutal inquisition ahead for the pilot and the company.  The prisoner went on to some hard times.  He managed to clean up his life a bit but in the end, it wasn't enough.  The four survivors continued a friendship of sorts.  Even so, their lives remained touched by the tragedy.

sapphoq reviews says:  Carol Shaben has researched and written an excellent book about the plane crash that her father and three other men survived.  Although it dragged in places out of necessity-- certain aviation regs have to be explained to the general audience in order to make sense of the aftermath-- Into the Abyss offers a snapshot of four lives frozen in time long after they emerged from the wilderness.  For those who like true stories about survival, highly recommended.