Down the Coaltown Road: A Novel

by Sheldon Currie

Set in a small coal-mining town in Cape Breton at the beginning of World War II, Down the Coaltown Road is the story of Tomassio, an Italian immigrant who is seized by the police and taken to an interment camp. When Tomassio escapes the camp, his breakout has far-reaching consequences for those close to him — for his wife Anna, who learned in Italy at an early age how to get what she needs from a man; for his son Gelo, who is suddenly the man of the house; for his lover Cathy, who renounced one family for her husband and risks losing another for Tomassio; and for his enemy and Cathy’s husband, Ump, a brash and bigoted man. As the social fabric of Coaltown strains and rends, it’s up to Father Rod MacDonald to mend the pieces and transform individual acts of contrition into shared acts of redemption. Down the Coaltown Road is a rich portrait of loving and yearning.

Genres: Canada, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2002

Reviews

[Megan]

The title of the book hooked me when I came across the novel in a library. It tells the story of industrial Cape Breton during WWII and the persecution of the local Italian population after Italy entered the war. One reviewer called it fast-paced... that's the last thing I would call it! However, despite little plot the characters are interesting and the setting is well-written to keep reading. A solid Canadian read.

[Elise Comeau]

A book around war, religion and small-town life, set in our very own Cape Breton, Nova Scotia!

[Sandra]

One of the reviews on the back of this refers to an 'enviable bluntness' in the voice in which this is told, which is spot on, though not until I read it did I realise that that was one of its qualities.
Certainly it is haunting, certainly well-written and insofar as the tale revolves much of the time around priests and nuns, surprising in its ability to keep me no only entertained but resolved to re-read some time to extract its qualities other than the story.

[Teena in Toronto]

Sheldon Currie was one of my English profs.

I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting story and I cared about the characters who are not flawless.

I spent my high school years in Sydney River, not far from where this story takes place so recognized most of the places. And it was fun to read and remember the expressions that only a Cape Breton uses.

So would I recommend this book? Yes!

[Ann]

Loved the characters, the setting and the whole story line; I was sorry when I got to the last page.