Though the transitions between these anecdotes can occasionally be disorienting, they provide a reminder of the diversity of experiences in what is seen as a single event.
Some of the most vivid imagery in the book comes from these survivors' recollections. Though Mac Donald isn't gratuitously gruesome, she doesn't shy away from the inevitable gore. It is not unusual to encounter a description like this one of a victim being loaded onto a ship: "The board tilted to one side, revealing a corpse with a smashed skull. The brain rolled out and plopped down next to [the onlooker's] feet."
Mac Donald uses such imagery sparingly. Because of this, each instance brings back the visceral horror of the destruction.
Mac Donald chooses to start and end her account of the Halifax story in Boston at Christmas. Immediately following the disaster, amid all the offers of help, it was Boston's effort that stood out. The city loaded a train with doctors, nurses and supplies and sent it rushing northward to the devastated city. After rescue efforts concluded Boston was still there, helping to get the victims resettled with furnishing, clothing and other necessities.
Halifax never forgot the assistance. The city sends Boston a Christmas tree each year in commemoration of its generosity. It is a nice tradition, and one I didn't know about, but the Boston framing seems like a weird way to start and end the book. Instead of being a story about the Narrows, we get the faint impression that this is a very full account of how Boston got its Christmas tree.
Still, any quibbles are minor. Mac Donald has created a compulsively readable account of Canada's worst disaster. She shows how the disaster affected a city, and more generally how it helped to teach us about disaster response.
Most of all, she reminds us that this story - like all history - is a human one, full of heroism, fear, grief, and triumph. Amid all the gore and the personal anecdotes, it is perhaps the Duke of Devonshire's telegram that best sums up how Curse of the Narrows made me feel as I experienced the Halifax explosion and its aftermath.
"Regretting news, hoping for exaggeration, tending sympathy and offering all aid."
Curse of the Narrows takes you through this gamut of emotions as though you had been there. Because of its historical and emotional depth, it is one of the best books I have read in 2006.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Congratulations! There are no fabulous prizes involved, but this article has been chosen as an Editor's Pick.