Laurentian Divide
Sarah Stonich is from Minnesota. Hence, the Laurentian Divide, the setting of this novel, must be The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, a wilderness area in northern Minnesota where motor vehicles are not allowed and Hatchet Inlet, the town featured in the story would probably be Ely, Minnesota, the Gateway to the Boundary Waters.
The novel is a frame story. Rauri Paar, the only remaining private owner in the Laurentian Divide, has not shown up after ice out on the lakes; he's usually a herald of spring. He spends the winter in his cabin on one of his islands, all by his lonesome. The residents of Hatchet Inlet think he's a victim of foul play or a heart attack or whatever. Only one of them, Pete Lahti is worried enough to try to find out what happened to him, and it almost gets him killed.
We don't find out what happened to Rauri until the end of the book, hence the frame. There are two other stories to keep us occupied: Pete's alcoholism (he's recovering) and his father, Alpo (No he wasn't named after the dogfood; he's Finnish) is getting married for the second time to Sissy who runs the local diner with her sister. Alpo is like sixty; Sissy is around forty.
So . . . this novel is really about the people of Hatchet Inlet. Stonich will occasionally throw in a long scene such as the one where she describes Alpo's
favorite fishing hole; the tourists haven't found it yet. Alpo draws a map for his new Kiwi friends from New Zealand. He trusts them to keep it secret. The scene doesn't drive the story, and it doesn't do much to give us a picture of the Laurentian Divide.
There's also a sort of sub plot about Sissy's mother who has Alzheimer's. She has her lucid moments when she can be kind of funny; they take her to Sissy's wedding, which she almost ruins, but she does strike up some surprisingly good harmony with the band at the reception.
I'm also from Minnesota, but I've never been up Nort (that's an intentional mistake) except for Duluth, which is a beautiful city if you've never been. It's the largest fresh water port in America, if not the world. Lake Superior will take your breath away. I was looking forward to a more detailed description of the BWCA; I guess I'll need to look for a non-fiction account.
The novel is a frame story. Rauri Paar, the only remaining private owner in the Laurentian Divide, has not shown up after ice out on the lakes; he's usually a herald of spring. He spends the winter in his cabin on one of his islands, all by his lonesome. The residents of Hatchet Inlet think he's a victim of foul play or a heart attack or whatever. Only one of them, Pete Lahti is worried enough to try to find out what happened to him, and it almost gets him killed.
We don't find out what happened to Rauri until the end of the book, hence the frame. There are two other stories to keep us occupied: Pete's alcoholism (he's recovering) and his father, Alpo (No he wasn't named after the dogfood; he's Finnish) is getting married for the second time to Sissy who runs the local diner with her sister. Alpo is like sixty; Sissy is around forty.
So . . . this novel is really about the people of Hatchet Inlet. Stonich will occasionally throw in a long scene such as the one where she describes Alpo's
favorite fishing hole; the tourists haven't found it yet. Alpo draws a map for his new Kiwi friends from New Zealand. He trusts them to keep it secret. The scene doesn't drive the story, and it doesn't do much to give us a picture of the Laurentian Divide.
There's also a sort of sub plot about Sissy's mother who has Alzheimer's. She has her lucid moments when she can be kind of funny; they take her to Sissy's wedding, which she almost ruins, but she does strike up some surprisingly good harmony with the band at the reception.
I'm also from Minnesota, but I've never been up Nort (that's an intentional mistake) except for Duluth, which is a beautiful city if you've never been. It's the largest fresh water port in America, if not the world. Lake Superior will take your breath away. I was looking forward to a more detailed description of the BWCA; I guess I'll need to look for a non-fiction account.
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