Broken Ground

by Jack Hodgins

Broken Ground is a riveting exploration of the dark, brooding presence of the First World War in the lives of the inhabitants of a “soldier’s settlement” on Vancouver Island. From out of a stubborn, desolate landscape studded with tree stumps, the settlers of Portuguese Creek have built a new life for themselves. But when an encroaching forest fire threatens this fledgling settlement, it also intensifies the remembered horrors of war. The story of Portuguese Creek is told by several of its citizens, including a boy trying to recover from the sudden loss of his father, and a former teacher haunted by what happened to the soldiers he led in France. With a memorable cast of characters, and by turns heart-rending and tragic, humorous and humane, Broken Ground is a powerful novel that immerses us in the lives of an entire community.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Canada, World War I, War, Literature, Book Club

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Novelist and short story writer Jack Hodgins lives on Vancouver Island where until recently he taught fiction writing at the University of Victoria. Raised in the small rural community of Merville in the Comox Valley, he graduated with a B.Ed from the University of British Columbia, and taught high school in Nanaimo between 1961 and 1981. He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Ottawa between 1981 and 1983. Between 1983 and 2002 he taught in the Department of Writing at the University of Victoria, and was a full professor at the time of his retiring. He occasionally conducts fiction-writing workshops, including an annual workshop in Mallorca, Spain. He and his wife Dianne, a former teacher, live in Cadboro Bay within easy visiting distance of their three adult children and their grandchildren.

Jack Hodgins's fiction has won the Governor General's Award, the President's Medal from the University of Western Ontario, the Gibson's First Novel Award, the Eaton's B.C. Book Award, the Commonwealth Literature Prize (regional), the CNIB Torgi award, the Canada-Australia Prize, the Drummer General's Award, and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and has twice been long-listed for the IMPAC/Dublin award. He is the 2006 recipient of the Terasen Lifetime Achievement Award "for an outstanding literary career in British Columbia" and the "Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence."

His books include: Spit Delaney's Island (stories), The Invention of the World (novel), The Resurrection of Joseph Bourne (novel), The Barclay Family Theatre (stories), Left Behind in Squabble Bay (children's novel), The Honorary Patron (novel), Innocent Cities (novel), Over Forty in Broken Hill (travel), A Passion for Narrative (a guide to writing fiction), The Macken Charm, (novel), Broken Ground (novel), Distance (novel), and Damage Done by the Storm (stories). Short stories and articles have been published in several magazines in Canada, France, Australia, and the US.

Jack Hodgins has given readings or talks at international literary festivals and other events in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the US. Some of the short stories have been televised or adapted for radio and the stage. A few of the stories and novels have been translated into other languages, including Dutch, Hungarian, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian, Italian, Polish, and Norwegian. In 1985 a film of the story "The Concert Stages of Europe," directed by Giles Walker, was produced by Atlantis Films and the National Film Board of Canada. In 2001 the Victoria Conversatory of Music produced a commissioned opera Eyes on the Mountain by composer Christopher Donason, based upon three of Hodgins's short stories intertwined. A screenplay based upon the title character in Spit Delaney's Island has been optioned by a Vancouver film maker.

A number of scholars in Canada and Europe have published critical studies on his work. He has been the subject of a National Film Board film, Jack Hodgins' Island, and a book, Jack Hodgins and His Work, by David Jeffrey. In 1996, Oolichan Press published a collection of essays on his work, titled On Coasts of Eternity, edited by J. R. (Tim) Struthers. A book of essays on Hodgins's work, edited by Annika Hannan, has been published by Guernica Press, Toronto. His manuscripts, papers, letters and other materials are held in the literary manuscripts archives at the National Library of Canada

In 1990, as part of its 75th anniversary celebration, the University of British Columbia's Alumni Society included him amongst the "75 most distinguished graduates" to be honoured with a plaque. In June of 1995, the University of B.C. awarded him an honorary D.Litt for - according to the UBC Chronicle - bringing "renown to the university and the province as one of Canada's finest fiction writers and as an innovative stylist and distinguished academic." In the spring of 1998 he recei

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Who told men that women want them to be heroes?” Maude said. “Not their mothers.”

Broken Ground was recommended to me as an underrated classic of Canadian literature, and I have to admit that it meets that unhappy description. When you look at the book's cover and see that it has pictures of both WWI soldiers going “over the top” from the trenches and a farmer following a team of horses with a primitive plow, you might be tempted to say, “Oh, broken ground, that's kind of a heavy-handed metaphor, eh?”, but here's the thing: this dramatic irony is exactly what happened. The same young men who dug the trenches in Normandy and survived their forays into no man's land came back to the “reward” of free land that only needed to be cleared and settled; often the most stump- and rocked-filled, unprofitable and far-flung wastelands that the government was hoping to establish outposts in by the sweat of the veterans' brows. For King and Country and all that jazz. (My husband's great uncle Ivan lost an arm at Vimy Ridge but was granted a hundred acres of land in Saskatchewan upon his return that proved too poor to farm but adequate for cattle ranching – and the exhumation of long-buried dinosaur bones.)

In the book, we are introduced to the residents of Portuguese Creek: a small settlement on Vancouver Island ringed by giant cedars which provided ready cash employment with the lumber company and impossible-to-remove stumps in the new farmers' fields. The men, for the most part, are veterans of the Great War who choose never to speak about their experiences over there, and their wives are stiff-upper-lippers whose own mothers knew the niceties of metropolitan living and modern conveniences. When a stranger rides into town with scorched clothes and a muddy mare, events are set into motion that will change the community forever.

Broken Ground is told from many shifting points-of-view, and there was often not enough difference in the voices for me to keep the characters separate in my mind. There were also some needless time shifts that didn't really serve the story, but overall, I admire what author Jack Hodgins achieved here. The first section outlines the early daily life in Portuguese Creek. The second section is the war time experiences of one of the main characters. The third returns to Portuguese Creek to resume the action, and also includes flash-forwards to today when the last surviving settlers gather to watch a movie that has been made of their early days. I didn't really believe in Taylor's abiding devotion (or Nora's rejection of him), or see the necessity of Elizabeth's origin story, or understand Tanner's delinquency...but on the other hand, I was mesmerised by Corbett's court martial (and Matt's shifting memory of his role in it), I was charmed by the middle-of-the-night theft of the church, and the scenes of the forest fire (and especially the search for Elizabeth) had me on the edge of my seat –

Burning limbs were rolling across the fields now, bouncing and leaping and turning and dropping all around us. Sparks were landing. Small flames ignited on the chicken coop. An apple tree hissed and exploded into furry grey smoke. The wind was so loud you couldn't tell if you were hearing it or not. It was nearly as dark as night. Every fence post was on fire, like candles marking out the borders of the fields. The cows were bawling, running back and forth not knowing where to go, tails high with runny manure flying behind them, trampling Mother's garden into a chopped-up terrible mess.

But most especially, I was intrigued by the overall themes of memory and storytelling and how we agree collectively on history. When returning soldiers refuse to share their experiences, can future generations be blamed when they get their history from Hollywood movies (made, by the way, by Americans who entered WWI four years and thousands of deaths after we Canadians did)? When the movie premieres that was made about the early days of Portuguese Creek, Charlie marvels at how it centers on a person that he had thought peripheral to the community – and recognises that we all think of ourselves as the main characters in our own lives; as central figures in history itself.

I wondered what effect this movie would have upon future accounts of the War's survivors and the Fire of '22. Was this the “true” story we were witnessing in this world of popcorn and rustling candy wrappers? Would it become the true story, erasing from our memories the versions we'd heard a thousand times from those who'd been there and from those whose parents had been there? Had we been honoured and celebrated and immortalized by celluloid, or had something been stolen from us that we would never get back?

Overall, Broken Ground might suffer from some unsuccessful literary tricks, but the story is intriguing and important and the bones of it ought to be a part of every Canadian's education.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happened across this Canadian classic (which I had never heard of) in a library sale bin and picked it up because it was just a few days prior to Remembrance Day and I was intrigued by the photographs on the book jacket. It is a story of First World War veterans who were given the right to homestead on Vancouver Island. Now this is a completely different kettle of fish than homesteading out here on the prairie where the biggest obstacle tends to be the severe climate. Vancouver Island is temperate rain forest and, therefore, they had to deal with torrential rain, enormous trees and regular forest fires. It was a mind-bogglingly difficult task for the men and their families who took the government up on their offer. In addition, as we know, many of the men returned from France damaged in spirit if not body and that served to complicate the task enormously. The excellent title refers to both the broken ground of the trenches on the battlefields of France and the ground they are attempting to plow on the island. The novel is written from the point of view of Charlie a boy in the fledgling community of Portuguese Creek and alternates between recounting the war experience of the local men and his own post-war life. By the end of book, Charlie is an old man attempting to set the record straight when a young man makes a film about the community. An interesting and well-written book about a lesser known aspect of Canadian history.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started decently and headed south quickly. The first part concerning the settlement and the people that lived there was interesting enough, though I felt there were too many characters and it was a little hard to keep track of them at times. At some point I realized that none of the characters were that appealing to me. Usually in a book written from several characters' viewpoints, there is one or two that you look forward to hearing. I realized that there wasn't in this book.

The second part of the book concerned the fire. This was somewhat compelling, although I found there was a certain sameness to the descriptions from one character to another. I felt like Hodgins was treading the same ground over and over. And despite the drama that one would expect from such an event, Hodgins manages to describe it in such a way that it doesn't evoke any emotional response.

The aftermath of the fire is where the book lost me. It started to focus almost exclusively on Matthew and Maude Pearson, who I realized I couldn't care less about. Around page 270, I despaired and gave up on the book. I couldn't believe that there was still about 80 pages to read and I was past the point where I thought the book should have wrapped up. And I would read and read but couldn't seem to make any progress. I felt that I had given about as much time and energy to these people and their situation, and I despaired of giving any more. So I didn't.

[Alida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just re-read this book and enjoyed as much as the first time. It's a little difficult to get into but well worth the effort. So much to think about as you read it; horrors of war, ways we fail or abandon loved ones, loyalty, what it means to be family... It takes place on Vancouver Island; therefore, many of the scenes are familiar including the burnt out landscape after a devastating forest fire. It should be required reading for any student studying Canada's role in WW 1.

I should add that a number of members of book club did not like nor finish this book. It makes me a little sad when a book I love does not resonate with people whose opinions I value.

[Janet McLarty Fretter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Historical fiction about returning soldiers from WWI carving out a new life in a settlement on Vancouver Island. I found the constant switching of narrative voice confusing - 10 different narrators? Really? Maybe it was timing, my energy level, or my failure to make a real connection with any of the characters, but after a while I found I didn't care who was talking anymore.
Others seem to give very positive reviews, so I guess 'to each his own' applies.

[Frankie · Rating 3 out of 5]

From one who has lived in areas where ww1 vets were given dubious land to 'farm' , I was drawn into the voices of those who lived the life. However, always felt I was at arms length, emotional connection hard to establish.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be fair I read this book in spurts and then came back to it. It is a fascinating story about men returning from World War I and being given unarable land to farm on Vancouver Island. It is told from
the point of view of a young boy who loses his father when he is attempting to remove a giant stump from his land. I live near where this story is set and have heard stories similar to those related in the book. There was also a very destructive fire that roared through the area - another hardship for the families. I enjoy learning history through historical novels such as this. Hodgins' descriptions are so real. He has won the Governor General's award for another novel and is regarded as "writer's writer". An interesting read for anyone living on Vancouver Island.

[Deborah Sowery-Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot, knew nothing about it going in, was passed to me in a box of books from my brother. The setting is a rugged valley in British Columbia that has been set aside for Canadian soldiers returning from World War II. It is a harsh place & the settlers are a rag-taggled broken lot who have suffered their share of tragedy & will suffer more as the story moves along. I found the characters beautifully drawn & their story moving.

[Wayne Haggart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Effective presentation of pioneer spirit in face of adversity, senselessness of WW1, the power of nature, and differing viewpoints of future generations.

[Valerie Haggart · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautifully written.... very thought provoking

[Buchdoktor · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Broken Ground” hat mich mit der Vielzahl von Erzählerstimmen zunächst an Winesburg, Ohio erinnert. Ich lege mir bei komplexen Beziehungen zwischen so vielen literarischen Figuren stets einen Notizzettel mit Personen- und Ortsnamen an. Bei Jack Hodgins treten zuerst mehrere Erwachsene und ein elfjähriger Junge auf, die im Jahr 1922 in Portuguese Creek auf Vancouver Island Land besiedeln, indem sie jahrhundertealte Bäume roden. Die erzählenden Figuren sind Charlie Macintosh, sein Vater, Christina Ahlberg, die Ladenbesitzerin Leena Hueffner und die allein lebende Nora Macken. Personen, von denen berichtet wird sind u. a. die Lehrerin Johanna Seyerstad, deren Mann seit 6 Jahren im Ersten Weltkrieg vermisst ist, der Fremde John W. Taylor, von dem anfangs noch unklar ist, was er außer seinem Job als Sprengstoffexperte im Ort genau vorhat, Maud Pearson, ihr schwer kriegsversehrte Bruder Archie und die Kinder der Pearsons. Als Charlies Vater sich beim Roden der Baumstümpfe auf seinem Land selbst in die Luft sprengt, wird den Siedlern bewusst, dass sie Einwanderer aus den verschiedensten europäischen Ländern und kanadischen Provinzen sind und noch keine gemeinsame Tradition für eine würdige Beerdigung entwickelt haben. Man kennt sich, ist aufeinander angewiesen und kennt doch die Nachbarn noch nicht. Geprägt sind die Menschen deutlich vom Ersten Weltkrieg, der ganz besonders Matthews Leben durcheinander gewirbelt hat. Nach seinen Erlebnissen im Schützengraben glaubt Matt Pearson, dass er nie wieder junge Menschen unterrichten kann und meldet sich deshalb als Siedler nach Portuguese Creek. In der Figur des traumatisierten und Schuld beladenen Matt und von Johanna, die die Straße nicht aus den Augen lassen kann, falls ihr Mann überraschend zurückkommen würde, verdichtet Hodgins die Kriegsfolgen. Das Projekt der kanadischen Regierung durch Kriegsveteranen hunderte von Jahren alte Bäume zu roden wirkt hier absurd und wie eine Fortsetzung des Krieges mit anderen Mitteln. Charlie verliert durch den Unfall seinen Vater, kann sich für kurze Zeit auf Matt Pearson als Ersatzvater stützen, muss jedoch bald auf Pearsons Unterstützung verzichten; denn Pearsons Sohn Tanner wünscht sich keinen Ersatzbruder.

Wenige Jahre nach dem Krieg wird der Ort durch einen Waldbrand verwüstet, die Siedler müssen nicht nur wieder beim Punkt Null beginnen, sondern auch neue Tote und Verletzte beklagen.

Im Jahr 1996 ist Charlie fast 90 Jahre alt und der letzte lebende Augenzeuge der damaligen Ereignisse. Die Ordnung seiner Erinnerungen für ein Filmprojekt des „jungen Macken“ gibt der komplexen Handlung einen Rahmen. Obwohl es 20 Jahre zuvor schon Augenzeugenbefragungen gab, kann nur Charlie die einzelnen Elemente ordnen und interpretieren. In den Rahmen des Rückblicks setzt der Autor auch Briefe und Notizen Matthews aus seiner Kriegszeit in Frankreich, die die Beziehung in der Familie Pearson nun in einem anderen Licht erscheinen lassen. Im Rückblick scheint der Brand die Siedler von damals vor der Konfrontation mit den Kriegsereignissen zu schützen, man kann sich über den Brand und den harten Neubeginn unterhalten und so die Kriegsfolgen verdrängen.

"Broken Ground" zeigt als komplexe Verbindung mündlicher, schriftlicher und filmischer Erinnerungen die Geschichte von Einwanderern nach Kanada und ist nicht zuletzt eine sprachlich herausragende Auseinandersetzung mit den einhundert Jahre zurückliegenden Folgen des Ersten Weltkriegs.

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, for Oct book club. He subsequently wrote several others which involved people from Portuguese Creek on Vancouver Island, so this is a good place to start, with the development of this settlement in the rain forest, as part of post WW1 development plan of the Canadian gov't, as a "gift" of dubious generosity. Powerful anti war message, great interactions and relationships of various people. Would have been helpful if I'd scanned the TOC more carefully first. It seemed a bit confusing and not so easy to feel connected at first, since each early chapter was written in the voice of a different person. Once there were some repeats, and one could start to "see" the settlement, the story seemed to come together. Slow start for me, tho.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the writing in this book.The story of men {or boys]who survived the carnage that was WW! and on returning to Canada settled on Vancouver Island in a desolate place called Portuguese Cove.It was a soldiers settlement and a hard life for the haunted soldiers and their partners and families.The characters were vividly told and I am sure the story reflected the history of the area and was a snapshot of life at the time.

[Marita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The many multiple voices in the first section I found confusing (and this sort of thing usually doesn't trip me up), but they were too similar. Later on, I realized that I didn't really have to keep them straight, that it would all sort itself out, but hindsight doesn't help in the moment and consequently, it took longer than it should have to really get engaged with the story. That said, it was well worth the read. A smart, moving story.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel takes place on Vancouver Island in a fictional town of homesteading World War One veterans. It weaves an interesting story of the townspeople, and especially of memories of the war that some members cannot leave behind. Reminiscent of W.O. Mitchell's "Who Has Seen The Wind," Hodgins' leaves a lasting impression of Canadian societal culture on his readers.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent prose on the hardships of life of a community on rural Vancouver Island post-WWI. There are different voices in the book, and there is excellent weaving of the stories to the final conclusion.

[Sharon Zink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Exciting in places. I am happy to recommend this book. It is about a settlement of returned World War I soldiers on an island off the Pacific coast of Canada. It is like a pioneer story with some romance, coming of age, a nd a forest fire thrown in.

[Szink · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about the impact of World War I.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this as a gift for someone and ended up reading it myself. I quite liked this historical fiction story set in BC.

[Emmkay]

I read the first 100+ pages but was having trouble re-focusing each time I returned to this novel. The premise is interesting (returning soldiers after WWI who were given rocky, difficult land to farm on Vancouver Island), and perhaps it was me rather than the book.

[Peter Neilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was extremely well written in places. The fire, the stumps, some of the descriptions of the War, the characters, the burnt animals.
It was a little bit disjointed from chopping back and forwards though the years and the characters.
“Land fit for heroes” was a successful con job by the parasites in so many governments after the First World War.
Would recommend it for all to read.