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The Crane
The Crane follows the difficult choices confronting someone who cannot go on being lied to and explores how they carry on in the face of hardship.
It’s 1968 and James Anderson’s twin brother Dave has just been killed in the Vietnam war. Knowing his turn is next, James turns his back on his family’s military legacy, evading the draft and travelling to Newfoundland to fulfill a promise his brother made to a fellow soldier. Unwittingly swept into an intergenerational family secret while on assignment for a St. John’s newspaper, James finds something in Newfoundland that could just save his life.
It’s 1968 and James Anderson’s twin brother Dave has just been killed in the Vietnam war. Knowing his turn is next, James turns his back on his family’s military legacy, evading the draft and travelling to Newfoundland to fulfill a promise his brother made to a fellow soldier. Unwittingly swept into an intergenerational family secret while on assignment for a St. John’s newspaper, James finds something in Newfoundland that could just save his life.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 18, 2025
About the author
Monica Kidd
9 books6 followersMonica Kidd is an award-winning journalist specializing in science and health reporting, and a multidisciplinary writer. She is the author of eight books of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 26, 2025
"The true story? Do any of us ever really know anyone's true story? Maybe we all just agree on one."
This book really is a poetic and heartfelt exploration of grief and war, not what I was expecting but I really enjoyed it! It was beautifully written, poetic at times and I really liked that. I thought it made certain scenes feel very descriptive and vivid in my mind.
The characters were all really developed and had their own personal struggles that somehow related to one another. Each suffering from some sort of grief, with some not really recognizing it. War is portrayed in both how it effects the victims but also the survivors. The perspective of Vietnamese children adds another layer, showing the ripples of violence and grief even beyond the main characters in the U.S. TLDR: I found that grief and mourning thread through every character's story and ended up shaping all of their choices.
Newfoundland is also depicted beautifully, although of course I am biased. The imagery and atmosphere really felt like home, especially in Job's Cove. It definitely captured the feeling of a bay town.
Overall, it was such a sweet little novel. Dealt with a lot of heavy topics but was written so well. I do recommend it!!
This book really is a poetic and heartfelt exploration of grief and war, not what I was expecting but I really enjoyed it! It was beautifully written, poetic at times and I really liked that. I thought it made certain scenes feel very descriptive and vivid in my mind.
The characters were all really developed and had their own personal struggles that somehow related to one another. Each suffering from some sort of grief, with some not really recognizing it. War is portrayed in both how it effects the victims but also the survivors. The perspective of Vietnamese children adds another layer, showing the ripples of violence and grief even beyond the main characters in the U.S. TLDR: I found that grief and mourning thread through every character's story and ended up shaping all of their choices.
Newfoundland is also depicted beautifully, although of course I am biased. The imagery and atmosphere really felt like home, especially in Job's Cove. It definitely captured the feeling of a bay town.
Overall, it was such a sweet little novel. Dealt with a lot of heavy topics but was written so well. I do recommend it!!
October 6, 2025
I quite enjoyed this book. It does an excellent job of showcasing what propaganda and nationalism lead to. Citizens at home in the US trying to explain away the atrocities committed by their own soldiers in Vietnam (their own brothers and sons), was a particularly poignant.
March 5, 2025
THE CRANE is a very enjoyable, comfortable read. A lot of thoughts and situations to reflect on. Death, letting go, and enjoying the moment are all part of James' experience after his brother is killed in Vietnam.
October 1, 2025
This book was interesting, but boring, if that makes sense.
I enjoyed it, but I also feel like it could have been so much more.
It's a good story to read before bed, as it won't keep you awake trying to finish it, but you'll read a chapter or two and then fall asleep.
I kept waiting for something "more" to happen, but it never did. I'm not upset about reading it, but I likely won't give it any other thought.
I enjoyed it, but I also feel like it could have been so much more.
It's a good story to read before bed, as it won't keep you awake trying to finish it, but you'll read a chapter or two and then fall asleep.
I kept waiting for something "more" to happen, but it never did. I'm not upset about reading it, but I likely won't give it any other thought.
July 12, 2026
🍁🇨🇦—Wyoming native, James Anderson, stayed in college while his twin, Dave, went off to fight in Vietnam. First thing he did was befriend another new recruit, Eric, who’d discovered he was adopted just before leaving the States. Eric vowed that, if he survived, he’d go to Newfoundland to look for his birth mother. But, sadly, neither of them made it out alive.
When Dave’s possessions were returned to his family, a wooden crane was included. James learned from Dave’s letters that Eric had carved it, then tried to give it to a young boy who’d been orphaned when Eric’s unit slaughtered the rest of his family. The boy refused to take it, and later that night, Eric was ambushed and killed. Tragically, Dave chose to sit with Eric’s body that night—to protect it from the Viet Cong—and, almost predictably, was shot and killed, as well.
James’ recruitment letter arrived soon after. He was reluctant to appear as the letter instructed, and his mother begged him to leave. Go somewhere—to Canada, she pleaded. And so he did, taking the crane with him and travelling north like so many others who refused to go to war. (Canada became a major safe haven for an estimated 40,000 to 100,000 American war resisters throughout the Vietnam War.)
James found his way to St. John’s, and decided to stay. He got a job with the Daily Standard as a fact-checker, but was soon promoted to reporter thanks to the great work he’d already done. His first assignment was in Job’s Cove where an old warship (Calypso, later re-named Briton) was to be decommissioned and scuttled (set afire and sunk) in deep water outside Job’s Point. While there, he discovered Eric’s birth mother had passed away 4 years prior, but her daughter Annie, and Annie’s 4-year-old, Sarah, still lived there. James spent a few days in an abandoned house they owned and got to know them quickly. He kept meaning to tell her about Eric but put it off until he couldn’t ignore it any longer. Finally, the night before he was to leave, he told her about Eric—the brother she didn’t know she had—and gave her the crane he’d made. She was quite moved while hearing the story and was grateful to James for telling her about him. Before he set out for St. John’s, it seemed certain they would see each other again before long.
The Crane is a lovely, poignant story with a distinctly ‘anti-war’ message, and I highly recommend it.
4 “Hell–No–We–Won’t–Go!” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
When Dave’s possessions were returned to his family, a wooden crane was included. James learned from Dave’s letters that Eric had carved it, then tried to give it to a young boy who’d been orphaned when Eric’s unit slaughtered the rest of his family. The boy refused to take it, and later that night, Eric was ambushed and killed. Tragically, Dave chose to sit with Eric’s body that night—to protect it from the Viet Cong—and, almost predictably, was shot and killed, as well.
James’ recruitment letter arrived soon after. He was reluctant to appear as the letter instructed, and his mother begged him to leave. Go somewhere—to Canada, she pleaded. And so he did, taking the crane with him and travelling north like so many others who refused to go to war. (Canada became a major safe haven for an estimated 40,000 to 100,000 American war resisters throughout the Vietnam War.)
James found his way to St. John’s, and decided to stay. He got a job with the Daily Standard as a fact-checker, but was soon promoted to reporter thanks to the great work he’d already done. His first assignment was in Job’s Cove where an old warship (Calypso, later re-named Briton) was to be decommissioned and scuttled (set afire and sunk) in deep water outside Job’s Point. While there, he discovered Eric’s birth mother had passed away 4 years prior, but her daughter Annie, and Annie’s 4-year-old, Sarah, still lived there. James spent a few days in an abandoned house they owned and got to know them quickly. He kept meaning to tell her about Eric but put it off until he couldn’t ignore it any longer. Finally, the night before he was to leave, he told her about Eric—the brother she didn’t know she had—and gave her the crane he’d made. She was quite moved while hearing the story and was grateful to James for telling her about him. Before he set out for St. John’s, it seemed certain they would see each other again before long.
The Crane is a lovely, poignant story with a distinctly ‘anti-war’ message, and I highly recommend it.
4 “Hell–No–We–Won’t–Go!” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
September 25, 2025
This book was interesting, much like its author! I can't believe Monica has lived the life she has, and that with the impressive course her life has took, she has managed to be knowledgeable enough still about all the topics and feelings that this book delves into. Wow. This book was quite sad at many points in time - there are sure some quite different "acts" to it. It was a bit difficult to get into, but once James is in Wyoming the plot becomes more clear. My lack of five stars just comes from not seeing James reunite with his parents, or friends, or not knowing if he will... I know that's reality, and artistic choice, but what can I say, I am a curious guy to see where his life will go after returning to St. John's! It was disappointing to see The Crane not be able to get delivered by its owner in the first place, and then to see it not even be able to get delivered to the person it was supposed to be delivered to... so I thought I'd see James life settle down a bit more at least. Oh well...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2026
The first half of this book lacked “flow” if that makes sense. It jumped around a bit too much but also even when staying in the same storyline it read like separate disjointed paragraphs.
The second half was an improvement. Maybe because it was mainly one story line but the writing sort of seemed to improve as you went on. There were tons of beautiful descriptions throughout and I appreciated the window into Newfoundland.
The story was intriguing to me because I was just learning about draft dodgers in a podcast I’ve been listening to so I found that part of the book drew me in but it fell short with the connection to the dead brother’s friend. It seems like a stretch that you would pursue the story of a guy your brother wrote you a few letters about.
It took a while to get to the “main”? part of the story as per the description but in the end it wasn’t a bad read.
The second half was an improvement. Maybe because it was mainly one story line but the writing sort of seemed to improve as you went on. There were tons of beautiful descriptions throughout and I appreciated the window into Newfoundland.
The story was intriguing to me because I was just learning about draft dodgers in a podcast I’ve been listening to so I found that part of the book drew me in but it fell short with the connection to the dead brother’s friend. It seems like a stretch that you would pursue the story of a guy your brother wrote you a few letters about.
It took a while to get to the “main”? part of the story as per the description but in the end it wasn’t a bad read.
March 11, 2026
Monica Kidd is a prodigious polymath: a practising physician, a filmmaker, an audio journalist and a writer who has published poetry, essays, non-fiction and two previous novels. Her new novel—The Crane—begins with an enticingly ominous dedication: “For those who live with the consequences.”
The novel’s first pages are jumbled chronologically and geographically in a montage that follows a young man—James—as he sits on a train, stays at a rooming house and rides a Greyhound, making his joyless progress between Maine and Newfoundland. He is weary, alone, travelling light and clearly not taking this trip for pleasure—a point underscored when he’s punched in a bar by a stranger for no apparent reason....
Review by Jane Kubke
Full review at: https://albertaviews.ca/the-crane/
The novel’s first pages are jumbled chronologically and geographically in a montage that follows a young man—James—as he sits on a train, stays at a rooming house and rides a Greyhound, making his joyless progress between Maine and Newfoundland. He is weary, alone, travelling light and clearly not taking this trip for pleasure—a point underscored when he’s punched in a bar by a stranger for no apparent reason....
Review by Jane Kubke
Full review at: https://albertaviews.ca/the-crane/
April 29, 2026
Wow!!! This is an incredibly well written book. There is lots of complexity. The characters are interesting. Monica Kidd is able to move deftly between rural USA and rural Newfoundland. She is able to juxtapose WW1 and 2 with Vietnam. While there is tragedy in the deaths of young men in the Vietnam war and fishermen in NFLD, there is also (some) hope and resilience. For sure, I would like to know more about the characters after the book ended—James and Annie but also Linda (James’ mother). There were many aspects of the book that left me reeling in horror—particularly the parts related to war. As the world is again embroiled in multiple wars, it is a good time to read the book and reflect on the lives lost in so many wars at the expense of young men.
April 23, 2025
The Crane, by Monica Kidd is a dense, well-researched, evocative, heart-crushing and redemptive account of moving through grief that traverses a haunting dual timeline. Trailed by ghosts from many generations, our protagonist, James Anderson, carves his own path while simultaneously attempting to free the ghosts before him.
Read my full review on Riddle Fence: https://riddlefence.com/review/the-cr....
Read my full review on Riddle Fence: https://riddlefence.com/review/the-cr....
June 18, 2025
Beautifully written, Monica Kidd’s The Crane (Breakwater Books, 2025) is a meditative and thought provoking contemplation on family bonds, love and loss, and how the spirit of a place is found in the people who live there. It made me think about how the idea and essence of what “home” is shifts throughout our lives. I didn’t want the story to end, and I wish there was a “next book” because I want to see where these characters go.
August 3, 2025
Hard to put down, this excellent read! James, a draft dodger from Wyoming in the 60s flees to Newfoundland - who would have thought?
I really admire Canadian authors, the depiction of Newfoundland and the people is so good. Some expressions I have not heard before, but I have no doubt they are local.
Dismissing Vietnam as not a real war, the East coast concentration on only WW1 and WW2 being ‘real wars’.
I really admire Canadian authors, the depiction of Newfoundland and the people is so good. Some expressions I have not heard before, but I have no doubt they are local.
Dismissing Vietnam as not a real war, the East coast concentration on only WW1 and WW2 being ‘real wars’.
April 9, 2025
Lovely book! Beautifully written characters, settings, and story - not just the traditional ‘Newfoundland book’. Really enjoyed!
August 21, 2025
Love the unfolding of this story.
November 26, 2025
3.5 stars maybe even 4.
This book is a slow burn, quite meditative on grief, family and identity.
I actually felt this book as I read it!
This book is a slow burn, quite meditative on grief, family and identity.
I actually felt this book as I read it!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews