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Far Cry
In a novel as compelling as the forbidden love at its heart, Alissa York, one of Canada's most distinctive writers, evokes an era of unspoken desires in which pain and longing are braided together along treacherous lines.It's 1922 at Far Cry Cannery, a quarter-mile of boardwalk and wooden buildings strung along the rocks of Rivers Inlet on the northwest coast of British Columbia. The time has come for Anders Viken, storekeeper and honorary uncle to the recently orphaned Kit, to give an account of his secret self—from his first home in Norway, another land of islands and fjords, to his escape from his family's loving grip, to his wide-open years of rough living and impossible love.As the sockeye flood up the inlet, Anders sets his secrets down for 18-year-old Kit, the only member of his chosen family he has left after her mother, Bobbie, scandalized Far Cry by running off with the camp's handsome Chinese cook, and her father, Frank, was found drowned alongside his own boat. While Anders does his reckoning, Kit fends off the attentions of the cannery manager and tries to earn her keep. Oars in hand, she glides her skiff out over the great returning school and casts her net. This, at least, makes sense to her, as opposed to the convoluted workings of love.
312 pages, Hardcover
Published February 28, 2023
14 people are currently reading
885 people want to read
About the author
Alissa York
14 books71 followersBorn in 1970, Alissa York has lived all over Canada and now makes her home in Toronto with her husband, writer/filmmaker Clive Holden.
York's award-winning short fiction has appeared in various literary journals and anthologies, and in the collection, Any Given Power, published by Arbeiter Ring Publishing in 1999. Her first novel, Mercy, published by Random House Canada in 2003, was a Canadian bestseller. Dutch, French and US editions have appeared since.
York's novel Effigy was published by Random House Canada in April, 2007, and was short-listed for the Giller Prize. International rights to the book have sold in Holland, Italy, France and the US.
York's award-winning short fiction has appeared in various literary journals and anthologies, and in the collection, Any Given Power, published by Arbeiter Ring Publishing in 1999. Her first novel, Mercy, published by Random House Canada in 2003, was a Canadian bestseller. Dutch, French and US editions have appeared since.
York's novel Effigy was published by Random House Canada in April, 2007, and was short-listed for the Giller Prize. International rights to the book have sold in Holland, Italy, France and the US.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
August 8, 2023
For those of you who think your reviews don't count, think again. When I started this book I was so confused. I didn't know which characters were speaking, who each character was and their role in the story etc. etc. I gave it a shot and had decided to read some reviews before quitting. Turns out that many of the reviewers felt the same way but those that persevered seemed to think it was worth it. So I did continue the book and ended up thinking it was not so bad after all.
August 2, 2023
Set in coastal BC during WWI, likeable narrator, good mystery woven in . To quote the back of the book, "a devastating, fiercely intelligent novel about love, desire, and loss, and the secrets that bind them..."
November 1, 2023
Another reviewer said this is one of the books that are "slow, confusing, anxiety inducing, heartbreaking, unsettling, upsetting, and ultimately put you in a bad mood having finished them” and I’d say yes, that’s actually why I enjoyed it so much. It was a slog to get all the characters straight, and another to figure out the narrator (half the book’s told in the first person, and the other half from an omniscient narrator following Kit’s point of view) but the main characters are real and quite easy to sympathize with. The book is set in 1922 and I think portrayed, among other attitudes, the pervasive and systemic negativity toward Asian workers. I kept being thrown off by modern-day terminology and vocabulary, and this should have been addressed by editing, otherwise I did enjoy the writing style and dialogues and will certainly look up other books by this author. Yay Canadian writers who use Canadian settings! 4 stars.
March 16, 2023
Reading this book is like unwrapping the layers of a gift. At first its confusing and you are not sure where its going or what to expect. However as you continue, each chapter draws you in more and more and you begin to live the lives of the characters in the story.
Beautifully written and worth the read.
Beautifully written and worth the read.
February 17, 2024
The style was in many ways not for me--but, I kept feeling how it made me slow my reading down, and I think that's to the book's credit. I'd give it a 3.5 but I'll round up; so what if it's not for me, the craft is clearly there, and the plot quite good, too. I thought a lot about Dickens in the latter half.
October 18, 2024
I started this book at least four times. Never got past the 100-150 mark. I came to the conclusion that I am too stupid to understand what Alissa York is trying to say. I even got to the point that I don't care.
August 26, 2023
Devoured me as much as I devoured it. I’m both enchanted and devastated. Why can’t we have good things!!!
Read
August 12, 2025After Pale Fire it’s honestly refreshing to just read a novel where Things Happen. Plot is so back. And so are boats
October 19, 2023
(4.5 stars)
February 28, 2023
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Being familiar with Rivers Inlet, British Columbia, I was glad to read this well crafted book about a fish cannery in the region. In 1922, storekeeper and winter watchman Anders Viken tells his story. Loved the detail and descriptions of this hard life and the reaction of the young woman it is intended for.
Being familiar with Rivers Inlet, British Columbia, I was glad to read this well crafted book about a fish cannery in the region. In 1922, storekeeper and winter watchman Anders Viken tells his story. Loved the detail and descriptions of this hard life and the reaction of the young woman it is intended for.
October 21, 2023
I loved it. A truly tension-filled book — every page builds on the story, but I still couldn't see exactly where it was going.
In addition to the storytelling, the world-building in this book is exceptional. The setting is rugged and vividly described, evoking a strong sense of place, and the characters are anything but one-dimensional.
The last few pages are an absolute sucker punch held until the very end. It's a far cry from a happy story, but it leaves you with a sliver of hope when you close the book.
In addition to the storytelling, the world-building in this book is exceptional. The setting is rugged and vividly described, evoking a strong sense of place, and the characters are anything but one-dimensional.
The last few pages are an absolute sucker punch held until the very end. It's a far cry from a happy story, but it leaves you with a sliver of hope when you close the book.
April 25, 2023
3.5 stars. This novel, which takes place in an early 20th-century Western Canadian fishing town, is well written with interesting characters (especially Anders and Kit). I appreciated it, but I'd only recommend it if you're ok with a book that's got a lot of tragic loss in it.
June 5, 2023
Maybe I didn’t ‘get’ the story but I don’t see why this has such a high rating. Do you enjoy books that are slow, confusing, anxiety inducing, heartbreaking, unsettling, upsetting, and ultimately put you in a bad mood having finished them? This one’s for you.
February 23, 2024
Such a good story. The complexities of human relationships in the rough times of late 1800's and early 1900's in the fisheries of the Canadian West Coast. The unpredictable twists in the story. All told through the eyes of 2 unforgettable characters.
July 10, 2024
I found this book very difficult to get into. Very! I did not enjoy having to figure out which voice was being used. That went on for a very long time. I did eventually admire the author’s writing and was moved by the story. 3.5 stars.
February 26, 2023
It’s been a while since I’ve read Alissa York; I really enjoyed Effigy from 2007, but my last encounter with this author was her Fauna which I read over a decade ago. (Somehow I missed her 2016 The Naturalist.) Far Cry, her latest book, reminded me of what a great storyteller she is.
Most of the novel is set in Far Cry, the location of a fish cannery on the northwest coast of British Columbia. It is 1922. Anders Viken, the camp’s storekeeper during salmon fishing season and its watchman during the winter, is writing an account of his life beginning with his departure from his home in Norway when he was a young man. His story is intended for 18-year-old Kit Starratt for whom he is an honorary uncle. Kit’s mother Bobbie recently disappeared and her father Frank was found drowned near his boat. Having known Kit’s parents for years, Anders also tells of how Bobbie and Frank met and details important events in their lives together.
Besides Anders’ first-person narration, we are also given Kit’s third-person perspective. She becomes a fisher for the company that owns the cannery. The job entails her being in a boat for five days at a time so she has lots of time to reflect on her life and recent events. What is interesting with this dual narrative structure is that the reader gets her version of events, often incomplete or not totally understood because she was a child, and then Anders’ recounting which fills in gaps. Anders knows much more than Kit does about the Starratts.
In one respect, this novel could be considered a love story. There’s Bobbie and Frank’s story, of course, but Anders also reveals the loves in his life. His loves are secret and impossible because they’re forbidden, but his actions show that love is his motivation. Of course, love does not guarantee happiness: there’s a revealing conversation between Kit and a friend about Kit’s parents. Kit admits that she doesn’t think they were always happy, but she knows they loved each other.
However, the book also details life in a fishing camp/cannery at the beginning of the 20th century. Conditions in a cannery were dangerous: “The cannery workers saw no rest. There was talk of accidents – all that blood and fish slime, you can imagine the cracked skulls, the broken limbs. A spill of solder, a stumble against the boiling retort. Fillers cut themselves on cans. One of the slitters took two fingers off his own hand.” The sights and smells are almost overwhelming. When the camp opens in the spring, Anders mentions, “Already the water has begun to stink – the yards-wide streak of the shithouse drift, the waste of a hundred incomers or more. In two days’ time the cannery will come clanking to life. There will be blood on the waves, the sky wild with smoke and reeking steam.”
The discrimination faced by Chinese workers is also mentioned. Chinese workers are hired at half the wage and housed in dilapidated, crowded buildings that are fire traps. One character describes the riot in Vancouver in 1907 instigated by the Asiatic Exclusion League. He makes a reference to the head tax Chinese immigrants must pay to come into the country and foreshadows the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923. Yet it is the Chinese characters who are more honourable in their treatment of women.
Anders is a very likeable character. He doesn’t discriminate: he is considered a good storekeeper by the Chinese because he charges them the same price as he does everyone else. He looks after Bobbie, especially when Frank is away at war; he tries to protect Kit as much as he can; and he bails out Frank on several occasions. He is not, however, a flawless person, something that is clearly demonstrated when he makes a dramatic revelation at the end.
The novel begins slowly, but tension ramps up. Because of her past, Bobbie’s situation at the camp is not stable. Frank returns from the war a broken man. Anders’ trysts with a lover are dangerous. The camp manager makes advances towards Kit. And then there’s the mystery: why did Bobbie abandon her family and leave with a Chinese man?
The ending answers many questions. In that respect, the ending is perfect in that it supplies a perfectly reasonable explanation for what happened. Yet readers should be forewarned that the ending is not totally unambiguous.
I highly recommend this novel. It has an interesting plot, authentic characters, a vivid setting, and thematic depth.
Note: I received a digital galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
Most of the novel is set in Far Cry, the location of a fish cannery on the northwest coast of British Columbia. It is 1922. Anders Viken, the camp’s storekeeper during salmon fishing season and its watchman during the winter, is writing an account of his life beginning with his departure from his home in Norway when he was a young man. His story is intended for 18-year-old Kit Starratt for whom he is an honorary uncle. Kit’s mother Bobbie recently disappeared and her father Frank was found drowned near his boat. Having known Kit’s parents for years, Anders also tells of how Bobbie and Frank met and details important events in their lives together.
Besides Anders’ first-person narration, we are also given Kit’s third-person perspective. She becomes a fisher for the company that owns the cannery. The job entails her being in a boat for five days at a time so she has lots of time to reflect on her life and recent events. What is interesting with this dual narrative structure is that the reader gets her version of events, often incomplete or not totally understood because she was a child, and then Anders’ recounting which fills in gaps. Anders knows much more than Kit does about the Starratts.
In one respect, this novel could be considered a love story. There’s Bobbie and Frank’s story, of course, but Anders also reveals the loves in his life. His loves are secret and impossible because they’re forbidden, but his actions show that love is his motivation. Of course, love does not guarantee happiness: there’s a revealing conversation between Kit and a friend about Kit’s parents. Kit admits that she doesn’t think they were always happy, but she knows they loved each other.
However, the book also details life in a fishing camp/cannery at the beginning of the 20th century. Conditions in a cannery were dangerous: “The cannery workers saw no rest. There was talk of accidents – all that blood and fish slime, you can imagine the cracked skulls, the broken limbs. A spill of solder, a stumble against the boiling retort. Fillers cut themselves on cans. One of the slitters took two fingers off his own hand.” The sights and smells are almost overwhelming. When the camp opens in the spring, Anders mentions, “Already the water has begun to stink – the yards-wide streak of the shithouse drift, the waste of a hundred incomers or more. In two days’ time the cannery will come clanking to life. There will be blood on the waves, the sky wild with smoke and reeking steam.”
The discrimination faced by Chinese workers is also mentioned. Chinese workers are hired at half the wage and housed in dilapidated, crowded buildings that are fire traps. One character describes the riot in Vancouver in 1907 instigated by the Asiatic Exclusion League. He makes a reference to the head tax Chinese immigrants must pay to come into the country and foreshadows the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923. Yet it is the Chinese characters who are more honourable in their treatment of women.
Anders is a very likeable character. He doesn’t discriminate: he is considered a good storekeeper by the Chinese because he charges them the same price as he does everyone else. He looks after Bobbie, especially when Frank is away at war; he tries to protect Kit as much as he can; and he bails out Frank on several occasions. He is not, however, a flawless person, something that is clearly demonstrated when he makes a dramatic revelation at the end.
The novel begins slowly, but tension ramps up. Because of her past, Bobbie’s situation at the camp is not stable. Frank returns from the war a broken man. Anders’ trysts with a lover are dangerous. The camp manager makes advances towards Kit. And then there’s the mystery: why did Bobbie abandon her family and leave with a Chinese man?
The ending answers many questions. In that respect, the ending is perfect in that it supplies a perfectly reasonable explanation for what happened. Yet readers should be forewarned that the ending is not totally unambiguous.
I highly recommend this novel. It has an interesting plot, authentic characters, a vivid setting, and thematic depth.
Note: I received a digital galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
April 9, 2023
A quintessentially Canadian novel is this one.
Quite brilliantly crafted, York transports the reader to another time and place. In doing so she effortlessly incorporates much of the history of the region - and the country - into her tale.
It is her attention to detail - both as it relates to her characters and as it relates to the historical facts she is drawing upon - that make this a standout title. She has such a way with words - finding the Goldilocks zone… just the right words and just the right number of words.
It took me a little bit to get used to the switching back and forth between Anders' story - written in the first person - and Kit’s story - written in the third person. Once I did though, it was all smooth sailing from there.
I’ve basically read this in one sitting - as I suddenly realised that this has been sitting on my Libby and I had only 9 hours left before my e-book was due back… with no prospects of getting my hands on it again anytime soon.
So glad I took heed and spent this glorious afternoon reading this. Time well spent… but it does mean I have neither notes nor quotes….
Quite brilliantly crafted, York transports the reader to another time and place. In doing so she effortlessly incorporates much of the history of the region - and the country - into her tale.
It is her attention to detail - both as it relates to her characters and as it relates to the historical facts she is drawing upon - that make this a standout title. She has such a way with words - finding the Goldilocks zone… just the right words and just the right number of words.
It took me a little bit to get used to the switching back and forth between Anders' story - written in the first person - and Kit’s story - written in the third person. Once I did though, it was all smooth sailing from there.
I’ve basically read this in one sitting - as I suddenly realised that this has been sitting on my Libby and I had only 9 hours left before my e-book was due back… with no prospects of getting my hands on it again anytime soon.
So glad I took heed and spent this glorious afternoon reading this. Time well spent… but it does mean I have neither notes nor quotes….
March 29, 2023
There are several gifted novelists who explore the rich history of the fishing culture of the east coast of Canada. In her latest novel, Alissa York reminds us that the west coast also has stories to be told.
“Far Cry” is set in a small, seasonal fishing village, off the cost of British Columbia in the early 1900’s, which comes alive each year for the Sockeye Salmon run. It balances two interlocking storylines. Storekeeper Anders Viken spends his evenings recording his life history, confessing the long proteced secrets of his 60 years, for his unofficially adopted niece Kit. Kit, orphaned in her teens and left to fend for herself, joins the men each day rowing out in her skiff chasing the Salmon run.
Shocking truths are revealed in the final pages where the storylines converge as both Anders and Kit make life-altering choices. Another captivating novel by one of Canada’s most gifted novelists.
“Far Cry” is set in a small, seasonal fishing village, off the cost of British Columbia in the early 1900’s, which comes alive each year for the Sockeye Salmon run. It balances two interlocking storylines. Storekeeper Anders Viken spends his evenings recording his life history, confessing the long proteced secrets of his 60 years, for his unofficially adopted niece Kit. Kit, orphaned in her teens and left to fend for herself, joins the men each day rowing out in her skiff chasing the Salmon run.
Shocking truths are revealed in the final pages where the storylines converge as both Anders and Kit make life-altering choices. Another captivating novel by one of Canada’s most gifted novelists.
April 2, 2023
The Toronto Star called Far Cry a transfixing, glorious novel. I wholeheartedly concur.
“But the heart hears little over its own wild sound." When you come across sentences like this, your own heart skips a beat. And every sentence in this story is a masterpiece.
Set in the early 1900s in a fictional Pacific Northwest fishing village called Far Cry, this novel takes us into the secret lives of a group of individuals, all connected by a mysterious death.
What I admire and appreciate most is York's ability to notice the poetry in small things, the reactions of people playing a card game or in a fishing boat. I don't think another author out there knows how to do that, except for Alice Munro.
IMHO, York was robbed when her incredible book Effigy lost out on the Giller Prize in 2007. I don't think that will happen this time. I fully expect to see Far Cry on the short list and winning this year. Read it!
“But the heart hears little over its own wild sound." When you come across sentences like this, your own heart skips a beat. And every sentence in this story is a masterpiece.
Set in the early 1900s in a fictional Pacific Northwest fishing village called Far Cry, this novel takes us into the secret lives of a group of individuals, all connected by a mysterious death.
What I admire and appreciate most is York's ability to notice the poetry in small things, the reactions of people playing a card game or in a fishing boat. I don't think another author out there knows how to do that, except for Alice Munro.
IMHO, York was robbed when her incredible book Effigy lost out on the Giller Prize in 2007. I don't think that will happen this time. I fully expect to see Far Cry on the short list and winning this year. Read it!
May 1, 2023
I have read all of Alissa York's books and there isn't one that I wouldn't highly recommend. Her latest book, Far Cry, comes from a novelist at the top of her game. I felt myself drawn into the 1920s west coast cannery environment right from the first chapter. In the beginning, the story moved slowly, like it was swimming against a tide. But as it evolved and the characters revealed more about themselves, Far Cry drew me into its world completely. The ending hit me like a ton of bricks and made me want to go back to the beginning so I could experience the subtle nuances of this beautiful heart-breaking novel all over again.
May 10, 2024
Quite a beautifully told story (an Evergreen nominee for this year, Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Program) set in early 1900s on the coast of British Columbia. It is told partly in the words of Anders, a Norwegian who has settled there, to Kit, the daughter of Frank, whose body she has found floating in the sea. Anders' story tells Kit of his life & the life of her parents & also gives her some information about what has really happened. His words alternate with Kit's life as she moves on after the death of her father. It's a very detailed novel, descriptively, so not everyone might like it, but I found it quite moving.
January 26, 2025
This is the kind of story I am used to being located on the east coast .... Newfoundland in particular. The author creates a vivid picture of a hard hard life at a time when isolation was still possible ... before the technological revolution .... a time when things didn't change that much on the outside. But life has a way of changing you even if your fishing practices and eating habits and environment has barely changed at all. Through WWI into the story mix and .... well things get broken and can't be fixed.
It is heartbreaking what life can do to love .... even to a strong love, a good love .... a love that in the beginning feels like it is untouchable.
It is heartbreaking what life can do to love .... even to a strong love, a good love .... a love that in the beginning feels like it is untouchable.
April 9, 2023
York has given us a picture of life in the fisheries of British Columbia from the late 19th century until the early 20s. Anders arrives from Norway as a young man. . He embarks on a life of salmon fishing, eventually running the store in Far Cry. Far Cry is only busy when the salmon are running and workers are processing the fish in the cannery. He is an adopted uncle to Kit, who has lost both her parents, Bobbie and Frank. Anders writes the story of his life and those of Kit’s parents, leaving the document for Kit to find. This is York’s first novel in several years and we’ll worth the wait.
November 27, 2023
This is a very ambitious novel but Alissa York has never shied away from complex, multi layered stories with difficult themes and a diverse group of characters. In this novel, set in north western British Columbia about a hundred years before the book was written, we meet some very interesting characters and experience their lives, their loves and their history in their interconnecting stories. The plot was multi faceted and deftly handled, just as we would expect from this author who adds little extraneous detail and makes her words meaningful.
September 9, 2023
This is an interesting novel but at times I had a difficult time figuring out whether the story was being told in the present or the past. There were also some phrases or word usage that didn't make sense. The characters are all very well developed especially the narrator and protagonist, Anders. The plot kept me interested as I waited to find out what they were up to and how they survived their hard life.
April 13, 2023
Absolutely amazing. I had to read the first few pages at least 3x through to pick up the threads, but after a few more pages I was immersed in the story, feeling the salty splashes, smelling the cedar loam, and understanding the characters and their situations. The story captivated me, but I wanted to slow it down and savour each page with its delicious imagery. A great read.
Loved it.
Loved it.
April 25, 2023
I hadn't read anything by Alissa York before, so wasn't sure what to expect, and I loved this book. It really drew me in. I found that it hit that perfect balance between being descriptive, without being overly-descriptive and bogged-down. The characters drew me in, and, as a Canadian, I very much enjoyed reading a novel that took place here in Canada. Beautifully written, and absorbing.
September 17, 2023
The book is written as the diary of Norwegian, Anders Vikens, as a series of letters to his recently orphaned Niece Kit. The author builds up the characters in layers while adding twists and turns in their development. Forbidden love, war trauma, survival, jealousy, alcoholism, it's all there in a well written package that keeps the pages turning.
December 10, 2023
One of my top reads this year. Great story and characters, and exceptionally well written. The portrait of the cannery town and of Vancouver last century are so beautifully drawn, they are like characters in their own right. There are many indelible scenes, but I don't think I will ever forget the scene with the bison in Stanley Park.
October 13, 2024
I very much enjoyed this novel, for its mesmerizing prose, well-drawn characters (especially Kit and Anders), and the author's tender approach to portraying loss and longing and workings of love. It was a slightly challenging read at the beginning but once I got through the first 1/3 of the book, I was fully immersed and could not put it down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews