No deaths recorded in Joliet until 1843. No Laidlaw listed in the earliest list of the settlers or those buried in the first cemeteries. What singular folly of mine, to come to a place like this-that is, to any place that has prospered, or even grown, during the last century-hoping to find some notion of what things were like more than a hundred and fifty years ago. Looking for a grave, a memory. There is only one listing that gets my attention.
Unknown Cemetery.
In a certain corner of Homer Township, a burial ground in which only two stones have been found, but in which as many as twenty were said to have existed at one time. The two stones remaining, according to the lists, bear the names of people who died in the year 1837. There is speculation that some of the others might have been those of soldiers who died in the Black Hawk war.
This means that there was a graveyard in existence before Will died.
We go there, we drive to the corner of 143rd and Parker. On the northwest corner is a golf course, on the northeast and southeast corners are recently built houses with landscaped lots. On the southwest corner there are houses, also fairly new, but with the difference that their lots on the corner do not reach the street, being separated from it by a high fence. Between this fence and the street is a patch of land gone completely wild.
I clamber into it, brushing aside the vigorous poison ivy. In among the half-grown trees and almost impenetrable undergrowth, hidden from the street, I peer all around-I cannot straighten up, because of the tree branches. I do not see any leaning or fallen or broken gravestones, or any plants growing-rose bushes, for instance-that might be a sign that graves had once been here. It is useless. I become apprehensive about the poison ivy. I grope my way out.
But why has the wild land remained there? Human burial is one of the very few reasons that any land is undisturbed, nowadays, when all the land around it is put to use.
I could pursue this. It"s what people do. Once they get started they"ll follow any lead. People who have done little reading in their whole lives will immerse themselves in doc.u.ments, and some who would have trouble telling you the years in which the First World War was begun and ended will toss about dates from past centuries. We are beguiled. It happens mostly in our old age, when our personal futures close down and we cannot imagine-sometimes cannot believe in-the future of our children"s children. We can"t resist this rifling around in the past, sifting the untrustworthy evidence, linking stray names and questionable dates and anecdotes together, hanging on to threads, insisting on being joined to dead people and therefore to life.
Another cemetery, in Blyth. Where the body of James was moved for burial, decades after he had been killed by the falling tree. And here is where Mary Scott is buried. Mary who wrote the letter from Ettrick to lure the man she wanted to come and marry her. On her stone is the name of that man, William Laidlaw.
Died in Illinois. And buried G.o.d knows where.
Beside her is the body and stone of her daughter Jane, the girl born on the day of her father"s death, who was carried as a baby from Illinois. She died when she was twenty-six years old, giving birth to her first child. Mary did not die until two years later. So she had that loss, as well, to absorb before she was finished.
Jane"s husband lies nearby. His name was Neil Armour and he too died young. He was a brother of Margaret Armour who was Thomas Laidlaw"s wife. They were the children of John Armour, the first teacher at S.S.No. 1 Morris Township, where many of the Laidlaws went to school. The baby that cost Jane her life was named James Armour.
And here a live memory comes twitching through my mind. Jimmy Armour. Jimmy Armour. I don"t know what happened to him but I know his name. And not only that-I think I saw him once or more than once, an old man come on a visit from wherever he lived then to the place where he had been born, an old man among other old people-my grandfather and grandmother, my grandfather"s sisters. And now it occurs to me that he must have been brought up with those people-my grandfather and my great-aunts, the children of Thomas Laidlaw and Margaret Armour. They were his first cousins, after all, his double first cousins. My Aunt Annie, Aunt Jenny, Aunt Mary, my grandfather William Laidlaw, the "Dad" of my father"s memoir.
Now all these names I have been recording are joined to the living people in my mind, and to the lost kitchens, the polished nickel trim on the commodious presiding black stoves, the sour wooden drainboards that never quite dried, the yellow light of the coal-oil lamps. The cream cans on the porch, the apples in the cellar, the stovepipes going up through the holes in the ceiling, the stable warmed in winter by the bodies and breath of the cows-those cows whom you still spoke to in words common in the days of Troy. So-boss. So-boss. The cold waxed parlour where the coffin was put when someone died.
And in one of these houses-I can"t remember whose-a magic doorstop, a big mother-of-pearl seash.e.l.l that I recognized as a messenger from near and far, because I could hold it to my ear-when n.o.body was there to stop me-and discover the tremendous pounding of my own blood, and of the sea.
Alice Munro (nee Laidlaw) grew up in Wingham, Ontario, and attended the University of Western Ontario. She has published eleven previous books - Dance of the Happy Shades; Lives of Girls and Women; Something I"ve Been Meaning to Tell You; Who Do You Think You Are?; The Moons of Jupiter, The Progress of Love; Friend of My Youth; Open Secrets; The Love of a Good Woman; Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage; and Runaway - as well as Selected Stories, an anthology of stories culled from her dazzling body of work.
During her distinguished career, she has been the recipient of many awards and prizes, including the W.H. Smith Award in the U.K., for the year"s best book, and, in the U.S., the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction, the Lannan Literary Award, the Rea Award for the Short Story, and, in 2005, the U.S. National Arts Club Medal of Honor for Literature. Her stories appear regularly in The New Yorker.
In Canada, her prize-winning record is extraordinary -including three Governor General"s Awards; several Libris Awards, given by the country"s booksellers; the Trillium Book Award; the Jubilee Prize; and two Giller Prizes.
Abroad, acclaim continues to pour in, as demonstrated by the reviewers" quotes on the back of the book. In 2005, she was included in Time magazine"s list of the world"s one hundred most influential people, and she has been frequently mentioned as a potential winner of the n.o.bel Prize in Literature.
Alice Munro and her husband divide their time between Clinton, (in "Alice Munro country") Ontario, and Comox, British Columbia.
OTHER t.i.tLES FROM.
DOUGLAS GIBSON BOOKS.
PUBLISHED BY MCCLELLAND & STEWART LTD.
ALICE MUNRO: Writing Her Lives. A Biography by Robert Thacker.
The literary biography about one of the world"s great authors, which shows how her life and her stories intertwine.
Non-fiction, 6 " 9, 616 pages plus photographs, hardcover.
RUNAWAY by Alice Munro.
The 2004 Giller Prize-winning collection of short stories by "the best fiction writer now working in North America. . . . Runaway is a marvel." New York Times Book Review Fiction, 6 " 9, 352 pages, hardcover CHARLES THE BOLD by Yves Beauchemin; Translated by Wayne Grady.
An unforgettable coming-of-age story set in 1960s and 1970s east-end Montreal, from French Canada"s most popular novelist. "Truly astonishing . . . one of the great works of Canadian literature." Madeleine Thien Fiction, 6 " 9, 384 pages, hardcover.
YOUNG TRUDEAU: 1919-1944 by Max and Monique Nemni; Translated by William Johnson.
A disturbing intellectual biography of Pierre Trudeau that exposes his pro-fascist views until 1944, completely reshaping our understanding of him. "I was extremely shocked." Lysiane Gagnon, Globe and Mail Biography, 6 " 9, 384 pages, trade paperback.
STILL AT THE COTTAGE by Charles Gordon.
The follow-up to the cla.s.sic At the Cottage, this is an affectionate and hilarious look at cottage living. "Funny, reflective, and always insightful, this is Charles Gordon at the top of his game." Will Ferguson Humour, 6 " 9, 176 pages, ill.u.s.trations, trade paperback SORRY, I DON"T SPEAK FRENCH: Confronting the Canadian Crisis That Won"t Go Away by Graham Fraser The national bestseller that looks at how well official bilingualism is working in Canada. "It"s hard to think of any writer better qualified to write about language than Mr. Fraser. . . . He is informed, balanced, judicious and experienced, and a very clear writer." Jeffrey Simpson, Globe and Mail History, 6 " 9, 352 pages, hardcover CRAZY ABOUT LILI: A Novel by William Weintraub The author of City Unique takes us back to wicked old Montreal in 1948 in this fine, funny novel, where an innocent young McGill student falls for a stripper. "Funny, farcical and thoroughly engaging." Globe and Mail Fiction, 5 " 8, 272 pages, hardcover THE QUOTABLE ROBERTSON DAVIES: The Wit and Wisdom of the Master selected by James Channing Shaw More than eight hundred quotable aphorisms, opinions, and general advice for living selected from all of Davies" works. A hypnotic little book.
Non-fiction, 5 " 7, 160 pages, hardcover MITCh.e.l.l: The Life of W.O. Mitch.e.l.l, The Years of Fame 1948-1998 by Barbara and Ormond Mitch.e.l.l From Who Has Seen the Wind on through Jake and the Kid and beyond, this is a fine biography of Canada"s wildest and best-loved literary figure.
Non-fiction, 6 " 9, 488 pages plus photographs, hardcover ROLLERCOASTER: My Hectic Years as Jean Chretien"s Diplomatic Adviser 1994-1998 by James Bartleman "Frank and uncensored insider tales of the daily grind at the highest reaches of the Canadian government. . . . It gives the reader a front row seat of the performance of Jean Chretien and his top officials while representing Canada abroad." Ottawa Hill Times Autobiography, 6 " 9, 376 pages, hardcover DAMAGE DONE BY THE STORM by Jack Hodgins The author"s pa.s.sion for narrative glows through this wonderful collection of ten new stories that are both "powerful and challenging." Quill & Quire Fiction, 5 " 8, 224 pages, hardcover DISTANCE by Jack Hodgins "Without equivocation, Distance is the best novel of the year, an intimate tale of fathers and sons with epic scope and mythic resonances A masterwork from one of Canada"s too-little-appreciated literary giants." Vancouver Sun Fiction, 5 " 8, 392 pages, trade paperback ON SIX CONTINENTS: A Life in Canada"s Foreign Service 1966-2002 by James K. Bartleman A hilarious, revealing look at what our diplomats actually do, by a master story-teller who is a legend in the service. "Delightful and valuable." Globe and Mail Autobiography, 6 " 9, 272 pages, trade paperback TO EVERY THING THERE IS A SEASON: A Cape Breton Christmas Story by Alistair MacLeod, with ill.u.s.trations by Peter Rankin Almost every page of this beautiful little book is enriched by a perfect ill.u.s.tration, making this touching story of a farm family waiting for Christmasinto a cla.s.sic for every home. A "winsome tale of Yuletide past." Toronto Star Fiction, ill.u.s.trations, 4 " 7, 48 pages, hardcover HERE BE DRAGONS: Telling Tales of People, Pa.s.sion and Power by Peter C. Newman The number one bestseller by the man whose books on politics, business, and history have sold two million copies, Here Be Dragons tells the story of his own life, from child fleeing the n.a.z.is to editor of Maclean"s. The Globe and Mail calls this autobiography "a work of genius wit and insight."
Non-fiction, 6 " 9, 744 pages plus photographs, trade paperback WORTH FIGHTING FOR by Sheila Copps The former Deputy Prime Minister and life-long Liberal tells all in this revealing look at what really goes on behind the scenes in Ottawa. "Copps gives readers a blunt, no-holds-barred glimpse into the seamy backrooms of Canadian politics." Montreal Gazette Non-fiction, 6 " 9, 224 pages, hardcover RAVEN"S END: A Tale of the Canadian Rockies by Ben Gadd This astonishing book, snapped up by publishers around the world, is like a Watership Down set among a flock of ravens managing to survive in the Rockies. "A real cla.s.sic." Andy Russell Fiction, 6 " 9, map, 5 drawings, 360 pages, trade paperback THREE CHEERS FOR ME: Volume One of the Bandy Papers by Donald Jack The cla.s.sic comic novel about the First World War where our b.u.mbling hero graduates from the trenches and somehow becomes an air ace. "Funny? Very." New York Times Fiction/Humour, 5 " 8, 336 pages, trade paperback THAT"S ME IN THE MIDDLE: Volume Two of the Bandy Papers by Donald Jack Canadian air ace Bandy fights at the front and behind the lines in the U.K., gallantly enduring the horrors of English plumbing. "A comical tour-deforce." Montreal Gazette Fiction/Humour, 5 " 8, 364 pages, trade paperback ACROSS THE BRIDGE: Stories by Mavis Gallant These eleven stories, set mostly in Montreal or in Paris, were described as "Vintage Gallant - urbane, witty, absorbing." Winnipeg Free Press "We come away from it both thoughtful and enriched." Globe and Mail Fiction, 5 " 8, 208 pages, trade paperback AT THE COTTAGE: A Fearless Look at Canada"s Summer Obsession by Charles Gordon ill.u.s.trated by Graham Pilsworth This perennial best-selling book of gentle humour is "a delightful reminder of why none of us addicted to cottage life will ever give it up." Hamilton Spectator Humour, 6 " 9, 224 pages, ill.u.s.trations, trade paperback A Pa.s.sION FOR NARRATIVE: A Guide for Writing Fiction by Jack Hodgins The Canadian cla.s.sic guide to writing fiction. "One excellent path from original to marketable ma.n.u.script. . . . It would take a beginning writer years to work her way through all the goodies Hodgins offers." Globe and Mail Non-fiction/Writing guide, 5 " 8, 320 pages, updated with a new Afterword, trade paperback WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND by W.O. Mitch.e.l.l First published in 1947, this wise and funny novel of a boy growing up on the prairie has sold over 750,000 copies in Canada, and established itself as a timeless popular favourite. Complete text edition.
Fiction, 5 " 8, 392 pages, trade paperback PADDLE TO THE AMAZON: The Ultimate 12,000-Mile Canoe Adventure by Don Starkell edited by Charles Wilkins From Winnipeg to the mouth of the Amazon by canoe! "This real-life adventure book . . . must be ranked among the cla.s.sics of the literature of survival." Montreal Gazette "Fantastic." Bill Mason Adventure, 6 " 9, 320 pages, maps, photos, trade paperback INNOCENT CITIES: A novel by Jack Hodgins Victorian in time and place, this delightful new novel by the author of The Invention of the World proves once again that "as a writer, Hodgins is unique among his Canadian contemporaries." Globe and Mail Fiction, 5 " 8, 432 pages, trade paperback PADDLE TO THE ARCTIC by Don Starkell The author of Paddle to the Amazon "has produced another remarkable book." - Quill & Quire His 5,000-kilometre trek across the Arctic by kayak or dragging a sled is a "fabulous adventure story." Halifax Daily News Adventure, 6 " 9, 320 pages, maps, photos, trade paperback THE MACKEN CHARM: A novel by Jack Hodgins When the rowdy Mackens gather for a family funeral on Vancouver Island in the 1950s, the result is "fine, funny, sad and readable, a great yarn, the kind only an expert storyteller can produce." Ottawa Citizen Fiction, 5 " 8, 280 pages, trade paperback THE SELECTED STORIES OF MAVIS GALLANT by Mavis Gallant "A volume to hold and to treasure," said the Globe and Mail of the 52 marvellous stories selected from Mavis Gallant"s life"s work. "It should be inevery reader"s library." Fiction, 6 " 9, 912 pages, trade paperback TEN LOST YEARS: Memories of Canadians Who Survived the Depression by Barry Broadfoot Filled with unforgettable true stories, this uplifting cla.s.sic of oral history, first published in 1973, is "a moving chronicle of human tragedy and moral triumph during the hardest of times." Time Non-fiction, 5 " 9, 480 pages, 24 pages of photographs, trade paperback BROKEN GROUND: A novel by Jack Hodgins It"s 1922 and the shadow of the First World War hangs over a struggling Soldier"s Settlement on Vancouver Island. This powerful novel with its flash backs to the trenches is "a richly, deeply human book a joy to read." W.J. Keith Fiction, 5 " 8, 360 pages, trade paperback HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER HOLIDAYS by W.O.Mitch.e.l.l A novel that rivals Who Has Seen the Wind. "Astonishing . . . Mitch.e.l.l turns the pastoral myth of prairie boyhood inside out." Toronto Star Fiction, 5 " 8, 264 pages, trade paperback.
ALSO BY ALICE MUNRO.
Runaway.
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage.
The Love of a Good Woman.
Selected Stories.
Open Secrets.
Friend of My Youth.
The Progress of Love.
The Moons of Jupiter.
Who Do You Think You Are?
Something I"ve Been Meaning to Tell You.
Lives of Girls and Women.
Dance of the Happy Shades.