August Into Winter
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- Create Date：2021-09-27 10:51:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Guy Vanderhaeghe
- ISBN：0771070551
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Summary
The first novel in nearly a decade from the three-time Governor General's Award‒winning author of The Last Crossing， August Into Winter is an epic story of crime and retribution， of war and its long shadow， and of the redemptive possibilities of love。
You carried the past into the future on your back， its knees and arms hugging you tighter with every step。
It is 1939， with the world on the brink of global war， when Constable Hotchkiss confronts the spoiled， narcissistic man-child Ernie Sickert about a rash of disturbing pranks in their small prairie town。 Outraged and cornered， Ernie commits an act of unspeakable violence， setting in motion a course of events that will change forever the lives of all in his wake。
With Loretta Pipe--the scrappy twelve-year-old he idealizes as the love of his life--in tow， Ernie flees town。 In close pursuit is Corporal Cooper， who enlists the aid of two brothers， veterans of World War One: Jack， a sensitive， spiritual man with a potential for brutal violence; and angry， impetuous Dill， still recovering from the premature death of his wife who， while on her deathbed， developed an inexplicable obsession with the then-teenaged Ernie Sickert。
When a powerful storm floods the prairie roads， wreaking havoc， Ernie and Loretta take shelter in a one-room schoolhouse where they are discovered by the newly arrived teacher， Vidalia Taggart。 Vidalia has her own haunted past， one that has driven her to this stark and isolated place with only the journals of her lover Dov， recently killed in the Spanish Civil War， for company。 Dill， arriving at the schoolhouse on Ernie's trail， falls hard and fast for Vidalia--but questions whether he can compete with the impossible ideal of a dead man。
Guy Vanderhaeghe， writing at the height of his celebrated powers， has crafted a tale of unrelenting suspense against a backdrop of great moral searching and depth。 His is a canvas of lavish， indelible detail: of character， of landscape， of history--in all their searing beauty but all their ugliness， too。 Vanderhaeghe does not shrink from the corruption， cruelty， and treachery that pervade the world。 Yet even in his clear-eyed depiction of evil--a depiction that frequently and delightfully turns darkly comic--he will not deny the possibility of love， of light。 With August Into Winter， Guy Vanderhaeghe has given us a masterfully told， masterfully timed story for our own troubled hearts。
You carried the past into the future on your back， its knees and arms hugging you tighter with every step。
It is 1939， with the world on the brink of global war， when Constable Hotchkiss confronts the spoiled， narcissistic man-child Ernie Sickert about a rash of disturbing pranks in their small prairie town。 Outraged and cornered， Ernie commits an act of unspeakable violence， setting in motion a course of events that will change forever the lives of all in his wake。
With Loretta Pipe--the scrappy twelve-year-old he idealizes as the love of his life--in tow， Ernie flees town。 In close pursuit is Corporal Cooper， who enlists the aid of two brothers， veterans of World War One: Jack， a sensitive， spiritual man with a potential for brutal violence; and angry， impetuous Dill， still recovering from the premature death of his wife who， while on her deathbed， developed an inexplicable obsession with the then-teenaged Ernie Sickert。
When a powerful storm floods the prairie roads， wreaking havoc， Ernie and Loretta take shelter in a one-room schoolhouse where they are discovered by the newly arrived teacher， Vidalia Taggart。 Vidalia has her own haunted past， one that has driven her to this stark and isolated place with only the journals of her lover Dov， recently killed in the Spanish Civil War， for company。 Dill， arriving at the schoolhouse on Ernie's trail， falls hard and fast for Vidalia--but questions whether he can compete with the impossible ideal of a dead man。
Guy Vanderhaeghe， writing at the height of his celebrated powers， has crafted a tale of unrelenting suspense against a backdrop of great moral searching and depth。 His is a canvas of lavish， indelible detail: of character， of landscape， of history--in all their searing beauty but all their ugliness， too。 Vanderhaeghe does not shrink from the corruption， cruelty， and treachery that pervade the world。 Yet even in his clear-eyed depiction of evil--a depiction that frequently and delightfully turns darkly comic--he will not deny the possibility of love， of light。 With August Into Winter， Guy Vanderhaeghe has given us a masterfully told， masterfully timed story for our own troubled hearts。
Reviews
Doreen
，
I’ve always thought of Guy Vanderhaeghe as a master storyteller， and this novel certainly proves that he has not lost his touch， though a decade has passed since the publication of his last novel。 This book of historical fiction is set in Saskatchewan in 1939; as the title suggests， most of the events take place between August and November。 Ernie Sickert brutally kills an RCMP police officer and thereby sets in motion a series of events with major consequences for several people。 Making his esca I’ve always thought of Guy Vanderhaeghe as a master storyteller， and this novel certainly proves that he has not lost his touch， though a decade has passed since the publication of his last novel。 This book of historical fiction is set in Saskatchewan in 1939; as the title suggests， most of the events take place between August and November。 Ernie Sickert brutally kills an RCMP police officer and thereby sets in motion a series of events with major consequences for several people。 Making his escape， Ernie takes with him 12-year-old Loretta Pipe with whom he is besotted; one character describes “his kicked-in-the-head， dog-eyed adoration， a concentrated distillation of infatuation uncomfortable to witness。” A policeman in pursuit of Sickert enlists the help of Jack and Oliver Dill， two veterans of World War I。 They make their way to the Clay Top School where they believe Sickert may have sought shelter and where Vidalia Taggart has recently arrived to take up the position of teacher。 The encounters at the school change the lives of all those present。 Characters are well-developed with detailed backstories。 Vidalia， for instance， is a fiercely independent woman who is grieving the recent death of her married lover in the Spanish Civil War。 Jack is a sensitive man who was scarred by the war; he is subject to religious visions and is obsessed with writing a theological magnum opus。 Oliver （Dill） is a stubborn and impetuous man who returned from the war filled with icy rage。 He describes himself as sharing many traits with his beloved horses: “Their throbbing energy， their speed， their eye-rolling wariness and unpredictability 。 。 。 generosity of spirit。” He is grieving after the death of his wife Judith， a troubled woman who had befriended Ernie Sickert。 Ernie was born to older parents who had wished to “remain blessedly and blissfully childless" and so ignored or appeased their only son who grew up with “a nose for vulnerability” and to be “a connoisseur of small and extreme cruelties。” A major theme is that “You carried the past into the future on your back， its knees and arms hugging you tighter with every step。” All of the characters are affected by their pasts。 Dill realizes that his wife Judith had been “crippled by experience” and so had hobbled through life。 He is determined not to repeat the errors he feels he made in his marriage。 Loretta is an orphan living with a married sister who has little time and patience for her， so her latching on to Sickert is understandable。 Certainly the long-lasting destructive effects of war are emphasized; Jack and Dill are different men when they return from the battlefields。 Vidalia’s lover volunteers to fight in Spain and his experiences open his eyes and affect Vidalia when she reads about them in his journal。 As events unfold in Saskatchewan， the world is preparing for war which Dill does not want to hear about because of “the half-truths and lies that are the camp followers of war” and “the pitiless indifference to human misery that is cousin to war。” Another theme is that love can be redemptive。 Though Sickert can best be described as a psychopath， his one positive quality is his love for Loretta。 When he perceives that she has been unfairly treated， he is determined to do whatever is necessary to rescue her。 Another character feels dead until love resurrects him。 Dill summarizes， “When Dill thinks of the men， women， and children torn out of each other’s arms and cast adrift in this brutal war， people who ate and slept and worked and played in villages and farms that are names that he cannot pronounce， Dill is certain that the only thing that keeps these people putting one foot in front of the other in a world of starvation， fire， disease， loneliness， and the catastrophes of war is the certainty that if they don’t open their eyes tomorrow， if they don’t trudge on， they will never get home to the ones they love。” I love Vanderhaeghe’s writing style。 As the above quotations indicate， his use of language is eloquent。 I appreciate having my vocabulary enlarged: “the debouchment of the ravine” and “a writer manqué” and “let his bequest to her lie doggo” and “the marriage of phenomenon and noumenon。” At almost 500 pages， this is a lengthy book， but it has something for everyone。 There is action， humour， and romance。 My interest did not wane， especially because there is a great deal of suspense。 Sometimes， the suspense is almost unbearable; just as the reader is repeatedly reminded that the world is moving inexorably towards war， the reader also knows that it is inevitable that there will be a cataclysmic encounter at the end。 I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an interesting tale with memorable characters and thematic depth written with masterful skill。 Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley。Please check out my reader's blog （https://schatjesshelves。blogspot。com/） and follow me on Twitter （@DCYakabuski）。 。。。more
Gordon
，
Wonderful writing as always from Vanderhaeghe。 I cared deeply for each character; all of them flawed in some way。 Leaving a five star rating to offset the ridiculous one star rating。
Brenda
，
As I know Saskatchewan incredibly well， the book blurb sounded appealing。。。that along with "suspense" and so on。 However， the sheer amount of foul language is incredibly discomfiting and distracting。 In fact， it made me feel as though I were back in school in Saskatchewan！ Sadly， I had no interest in finishing。 As I know Saskatchewan incredibly well， the book blurb sounded appealing。。。that along with "suspense" and so on。 However， the sheer amount of foul language is incredibly discomfiting and distracting。 In fact， it made me feel as though I were back in school in Saskatchewan！ Sadly， I had no interest in finishing。 。。。more
Penny （Literary Hoarders）
，
A new Vanderhaeghe too？！？！ Wow 2021 is a banner year - September is an incredible month - I'm going to be broke！ A new Vanderhaeghe too？！？！ Wow 2021 is a banner year - September is an incredible month - I'm going to be broke！ 。。。more
Krista
，
Ernie Sickert， the etiolated young man who had brought them news of the break‑in， had appeared out of nowhere。 He was wearing what had become a uniform for him， grey flannel trousers， starched white shirt， and mulberry bow tie。 Tall and so lanky that he verged on emaciation， Sickert had both hands up on the top of the door frame from which he hung like human drapery。 An elaborate stack of towering pompadour crowned his narrow head， a hairdo that he had adopted during his days when he had play Ernie Sickert， the etiolated young man who had brought them news of the break‑in， had appeared out of nowhere。 He was wearing what had become a uniform for him， grey flannel trousers， starched white shirt， and mulberry bow tie。 Tall and so lanky that he verged on emaciation， Sickert had both hands up on the top of the door frame from which he hung like human drapery。 An elaborate stack of towering pompadour crowned his narrow head， a hairdo that he had adopted during his days when he had played tenor sax for the Rhythm Alligators， a local dance band。 Ernie had an expectant air， an I’m‑preparing‑to‑lick‑ice‑cream look on his face。 Guy Vanderhaeghe is a reliably excellent writer and his literary hallmarks are on full display in August into Winter — this is a very manly historical fiction， set firmly on the Saskatchewan prairie as only he can describe it， with good guys and bad guys， heart-thumping action and heart-touching drama — and I am delighted to have had an early read of this fine novel; I have no doubt it will be up for all the Canadian literary awards this year。 Slightly spoilery from here， but not much beyond the publisher’s blurb。 （Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms。） “I’ve got a problem。 A big one。 The storm has cut Connaught off from the outside world。 Completely。 Telephone， telegraph lines， they’re all down。 Roads are impassable。The foreman of the section gang came in on a handcar at six o’clock and said that the railway trestle bridge over Cutbank Creek to the east is ready to collapse and that the embankment on the west line has washed out。 There’ll be no trains running to Connaught for days。 Which means that I can’t contact any other detachments to let them know what’s happened here， can’t warn them that Ernie Sickert is on the loose。 It all falls on me。 I’ve got no one to turn to for help。” It’s August of 1939 and Ernie Sickert — the twenty-one-year-old pompadour-wearing， hepcat-talking， sax-playing， commando-wannabe — has gone from playing bizarre pranks on his neighbours in the village of Connaught to committing an unspeakable act of violence。 Thinking himself smarter than everyone around him and basically untouchable， the psychopathic Sickert picks up his “girlfriend” Loretta （a twelve-year-old orphan with stick legs and a threadbare hand-me-down dress） and drives his mother’s Oldsmobile into the heart of a torrential rainstorm。 Once the car inevitably breaks down， Ernie and Loretta make a run for it and the town’s rookie cop enlists the help of a couple of locals to track them down。 These locals， Oliver and Jack Dill， are WWI veterans who still carry the mental aftereffects of their time in combat （Jack is a religious obsessive， writing an interminable opus on The City of God， and the reclusive Oliver is a recent widower whose dead wife had befriended the Sickert boy when he was a child）， but with their horse skills， knowledge of the area， and combat experience， the Dill brothers are soon in hot pursuit of the runaways。 The great glacier of anger that was Oliver Dill was grinding the bedrock of his being to gravel。 The pressure of it was inescapable; sometimes he felt it a little less， sometimes a little more， but it was always present。 For the last three years the glacier had been moving toward some unknown destination the way an icefield moves， inch by inch。 This afternoon it had brought him to this point: Would he act as Judith would want him to act and try to spare the boy’s life？ Or would the glacier follow the natural course of its inclinations， implacably inch forward and crush Ernie Sickert？ Along the way， the posse adds the local schoolteacher to their number （Vidalia was a recent transplant from Winnipeg; a fiercely independent woman who finds herself stranded in Connaught after the schoolhouse burns down）， and as her history unspools， we learn that she is mourning the death of her lover: a Communist intellectual who was recently killed when he joined the Canadian Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion to fight the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War。 As the action of this novel mainly takes place from August into November of 1939 （hence the title） — the timeframe in which Europe was bracing for another World War and Bolshevik sympathisers like Vidalia were stunned by Hitler and Stalin’s nonaggression pact and subsequent carving up of Poland — the very specific moment in history affects everything that happens （and as each chapter opens with a headline and news snippet from the Winnipeg Evening Tribune， we are always aware of the larger events playing out in the background of the very local drama）。 When Oliver Dill eventually offers Vidalia a job typing up his brother’s manuscript， we are treated to long passages of Jack’s religious mania; and when Vidalia then decides to spend some of her time typing up the diary that her dead lover had kept in Spain， we then intimately learn of the unimaginable hardships faced by the Mac-Paps。 Vidalia was stalled。 Coming to the end of Dov’s journal left her wondering if life wasn’t a court convened and presided over by idiots。 Left her wondering why she had clung so tenaciously to optimism， to belief in a better future if those things could be taken away as easily as they had been taken from Dov， by an accident， a stumble in the dark， by a politically motivated arrest。 All of Vanderhaeghe’s characters in this novel are incredibly complex — with complicated histories revealed at length — and I found them， for the most part， to be frustratingly unknowable。 Vidalia is prickly and standoffish — a self-satisfied intellectual and a feminist whose ambition outstrips her opportunities — but Oliver Dill falls for her， acting puppyish and playful in a way that I wouldn’t have predicted from the gruff loner we meet in the beginning。 Vidalia does not want to be taken care of （even if she has few options）， Dill can’t help but be a caregiver （he has taken care of Jack for twenty years， took care of his late wife in her final years）， and I’m not certain that I loved （or completely bought） how their storyline ended。 For many years， in his mind Dill had been trying to correct the past。 But the past was beyond correction。 If the past led to death then death was surely beyond correction too。 You carried the past into the future on your back， its knees and arms hugging you tighter with every step。 His heart was where it was。 This is a longish novel （my kindle app clocked it at around eleven hours for me）， and with so much at play — Oliver’s memories from WWI， Dov’s account of the Spanish Civil War， the news from Europe on the eve of WWII， everyone’s personal backstories， and Jack’s manuscript — it got to feel like a bit much。 But the muchness is rather the point: Everyone is carrying their pasts into the future， and it’s undeniably a burden。 The plot of August Into Winter has plenty of truly heart-in-your-throat moments and I found the conclusion to the main conflict to be perfectly satisfying。 This is a long road and definitely worth the trip; that Ernie Sickert is one creepy piece of work。 Take your lead from me， Mayfield。 Do as I do。 Creative havoc， well‑played， leads to victory。 Creative havoc is the jazz of war。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=August Into Winter
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=August Into Winter&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,August Into Winter&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0