Novel Offers Raw Depiction of Priest’s Dark History

The Chronicle-Herald
March 28, 2014

http://thechronicleherald.ca/books/1196702-novel-offers-raw-depiction-of-priest-s-dark-history

Writing and researching Petitot must have been a journey of constant discovery for author Susan Haley. The weighty tome is the product of almost a decade of work, and tells the story of Emile Petitot, a man historically known in Canada for his work as a priest, a missionary, a writer and an ethnographer.

But it just takes a quick flutter of fingers on a keyboard to learn that he has a remarkably dark history. According to a variety of interviews with Haley, including one with the Northern Journal, she was surprised to discover that the Canadian explorer was also a pedophile and subject to symptoms of a bipolar disorder.

This could be why she chose to tell the story the way she did. Her storytelling is fluid, bouncing back and forth from the 1800s to modern day, and it’s told through the eyes of a few different characters, each one affected in their own way by the mad priest. Luckily, the plot has the main character, Marcus, to keep it on track.

We’re introduced to Marcus when he’s assigned a teaching post in a northern native community. He’s still reeling from an unexpected breakup with his wife and, to make matters worse, he’s struggling to cope with the challenges of what is, to him, an intolerable way of life. When he’s not trying to escape the in-fighting among his colleagues, he’s dodging unwelcome sexual advances from another teacher. His students seem to be virtually unteachable and they do everything they can to drive him out — from walking out of class to throwing rocks through his window.

He finds temporary solace with the community priest, who offers him a place to stay, shows him the Church of Our Lady of Good Hope, and tells Marcus about the building’s designer, Emile Petitot. The priest encourages Marcus to read Petitot’s books, which launches him into a quest to learn as much about the missionary as he can.

Here, we can almost imagine Haley researching her story, as Marcus’s journey almost certainly mimics hers. He begins with Petitot’s books, which present the more palatable version of Petitot: a man who published dictionaries and wrote books documenting the lives and customs of the Dene people.

Like Haley, he soon realizes there’s an element missing. He begins to discover a number of obsessive theories, including writings that propose the Dene are actually a lost tribe of Israel. He also uncovers a book that depicts Petitot as a “pederast,” a man who has sexual relationships with adolescent boys.

The rest of the novel is a blur of professional revelations and personal self-discovery as Marcus explores his sexuality, his personal relationships and his professional goals.

Haley’s newest book is a thoughtful examination of how society preserves its history. She uses Marcus’s research to illustrate how our perceptions of history are often shaped by the biases and the ulterior motives of the people recording the events.

It’s a raw, honest book that leaves us with plenty to think about. With a main character who’s struggling to make sense of his breakup, his sexuality and his research, and an ongoing theme of mental illness, Haley pulls off the herculean task of addressing a number of sensitive issues without judgment or bias.

Despite the complicated plot, Haley manages to juggle multiple storylines, subplots and characters, without leaving any leftover loose ends.

But every author has at least one weakness, and for all Haley’s skill at developing a well-paced story, tackling important themes, and weaving multiple perspectives into a longer narrative, her character development leaves something to be desired. Despite their significantly difficult lives, her characters lack dimension, making it harder to care what happens to them.

But remarkably, Haley manages to use her undeveloped characters to her advantage. By telling the story through the eyes of a man who has no idea who he is, she’s given herself the luxury of working with an emotional blank slate. This rawness makes him the perfect device for accomplishing something that’s almost impossible — telling an unbiased story.

Contact: books@herald.ca