Starlight

by Richard Wagamese

This is the final book by Richard Wagamese, published posthumously and unfinished.

Starlight picks up the story that began in Medicine Walk. At least a decade has passed since 16-year-old Frank Starlight helped his alcoholic father die and make a ragged peace with the son he abandoned. Frank has since taken over the farm in the B.C. Interior left to him by “the old man,” the kindly white farmer who took him in as a boy.  I really enjoyed Medicine Walk, it was so powerful.


The book is an absolute delight to read.  His language is so beautiful, lyrical.  I hung on ever word. It is so sad that a man with this creativity and such beautiful spirit committed suicide.



The book is about a woman, Emmy, and her daughter, Winnie.  Emmy has had a tough life bouncing from one bad man to another.  Her latest lover abuses her, offers her to other men and beats her.  One day she has had enough and beats her lover and his buddy, tries to set his house on fire and leaves with his truck.  She drives into northern BC to get as far from him as she can, she is not sure if he is alive or dead but fears that if he is alive he will be out to get her.

She finds an abandoned cabin and she and her child settle in but they have no money. She tries unsucessfully to find work.  One day she is desperate and is caught trying to steal food from a store.  The store manager is going to charge her and she is threatened with losing custody of her daughter.
However, a local man, a farmer, offers to pay for the groceries she stole and to hire her as a housekeeper.  The social worker and police are surprised at his offer but agree to it provided the daughter is enrolled in school.

Emmy is so happy with Frank Starlight's generosity but while she is thankful she insists he add some modern conveniences to the house, a fridge for example.  Frank is very generous, he buys clothes for her and her daughter and accepts all the things she insists on.  Things are going well for Emmy but the daughter is acting out at school.  Frank, who is a native man, decides to introduce the mother and daughter to nature in the hope it will heal/tame them both.

While this is going on Emmy's lover has gone to Calgary to see if she went there, as he doesn't find her there he gets angrier and more violent, looking for fights as he and his buddy travel along, making their way to Vancouver.

Gradually Frank and Emmy gently fall into a relationship had never had a woman before and Emmy has never had a good man.

In addition to farming Frank takes nature photographs.  His work is highly regarded and provides him with a good additioal income.  His agent convinces him to attend a show of his work in Vancouver and he reluctantly agrees to go to the showing.  He invites Emmy and Winnie and his farmhand to join him in Vancouver.  Emmy's former lover spots them in Vancouver. "I told you we'd track her down" Cadotte said.... the last words in the book.

The Editor's go on to speculate that, based on Wagamese's other stories, they feel that there would have been a confrontation and that ultimately Emmy would have forgiven Cadotte.  We will of course never know.  The book was a jewel, so spiritual, ironically life affirming.

Wagamese quote:
"See, it's not in our imagined wholeness that we become art; it's in the celebration of our cracks"

Leonard Cohen, Anthem

The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be
Yeah the wars they will
Be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free

Ring the bells (ring the bells) that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That's how the light gets in