Waste Heritage

by Irene Baird

A new critical edition of the acknowledged best Canadian novel of the 1930s. Irene Baird’s Waste Heritage is a groundbreaking work of Canadian fiction based on the dramatic and violent labour disputes that took place in British Columbia in 1938. The story follows the progress of two friends, Matt Striker, a 23-year-old from Saskatchewan, and his simple-minded companion Eddy, as they travel from Vancouver to Victoria following the occupation of the Vancouver Post Office. Like the unemployed masses that took siege of the Post Office, Matt and Eddy yearn for relief after years of economic depression. Empathetic and tragic, Waste Heritage has been praised as Canada’s Grapes of Wrath and the most important Canadian novel of the 1930s. A new critical apparatus surrounds Baird’s original text, informing the reader of the historical and literary contexts of the work, as well as providing exhaustive textual analysis.

Genres: Canadian Literature, Fiction, Canada

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1939

Reviews

[Andrew Sawdon · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the most terrible books I have ever read. Clumsily written and poorly edited. This book should have been forgotten. The characters are inconsistent and completely mess up their development on a dime.

The author also introduces too many unnecessary characters at random. She has this habit of inserting a character in the novel as if they'd been introduced two pages ago. But that doesn't matter, they'll just be forgotten in two more pages.

I had to read this book for school and I'm convinced it's only because of how obscure it is. They probably wanted to make sure students weren't cheating

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longish novel but certainly deserving of better treatment than it receives from some of the reviews here. Very reminiscent of Steinbeck, particularly In Dubious Battle (the labor organizing and laborers living in close proximity, waiting for something to happen) and Of Mice and Men (the relationship between Matt and Eddy). Most of the action takes place in Vancouver and Victoria (both are renamed by the author but thinly veiled) in the late 1930s when labor unrest over work shortages was rampant throughout Canada. The author works to convey the attitudes and speech patterns of the men, particularly their boredom, cynicism, and desperation. The conflicted attitudes of the general public and the anxiety thereof are also well-communicated, as is the fear of all parties involved. The book focuses on a character named Matt and his relationship with a developmentally challenged man named Eddy, and on Matt's relationship with Hep, who is one of the chief organizers of the protesting men. It reaches a harrowing and horrifying conclusion with no denouement. My edition included a lengthy, scholarly introduction that worked a little too hard to make the simple point that Baird's work, while reminiscent of Steinbeck's, was in no way derivative--point taken.

[_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent character interactions and a nice meta-commentary, but would have been more enjoyable were it a shorter story. It doesn't feel terribly respectful of the reader's time and unfortunately stretches a pretty good story out to the point where it feels a bit drip-fed.

[Marni · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about the lean 1930's and unemployment in Canada. It reads a little like Grapes of Wrath.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an interesting book, but it really fell short. It simply just did not grab me at all. I found myself wondering why they did not just join the war. It probably would've been easier on them. It was a hard book to get through for sure and I even skipped a few pages because I just couldn't take it. Unfortunately, it had to be read for school and I find myself wondering why it was picked when it really isn't that good.