The Tent Peg

by Aritha van Herk

In The Tent Peg, award-winning novelist Aritha van Herk uses her unerring perception and impressive literary skill to capture the mystical mood of the Arctic and the people who are drawn to it.

In this intriguing story, a young woman who disguises herself as a man to work in a uranium prospecting camp deep in the Yukon mountains. J.L. is on the run from an empty heart and is desperate for solitude. Yet solitude eludes her from the moment she hangs up her pots and pans in the cook tent, and the men in the camp begin to drift toward her, drawn by her silence. These men are drifters, romantics and outcasts - men who have come to the North in search of answers for questions they can't define.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Canadian Literature, Womens

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Aritha van Herk is a Canadian writer, critic, editor, and university professor.

Her parents and elder siblings immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands before she was born. She grew up in a bilingual home, speaking English and Dutch. In 1974, she married Robert Jay Sharp, who is a geologist. Van Herk studied Canadian literature and Creative Writing at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, graduating with a B.A. Honours in 1976, and an M.A. in 1978. Since 1983, Aritha van Herk has been teaching at the University of Calgary. She teaches Creative Writing, Canadian Literature, and Contemporary Narrative.

Reviews

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes us to the Yukon. Nine men and one woman are there prospecting for uranium or whatever rewards the mountains have in store. J.L., the woman, has been hired on as a cook. She only managed to get the job as she disguised herself as a man. She quickly admits the truth before they leave. Of course, being in the wild, isolated from society, her presence causes a friction amongst the men.

Every person gets a voice in this novel. We skip from one to another, slowly moving the story forward. I appreciated what each was thinking and feeling.

When I first started reading, I was super annoyed at the men’s attitudes. Truthfully, they were like a bunch of sex obsessed teenagers. J.L. was a quiet presence- she was there to get away and for the solitude. Instead, she got a bunch of men circling her like she was the prey.

But something magical happens- attitudes ( for the most part) shift and this is where I became totally invested.

This story is based on the Biblical story of Jael and the tent peg. I did a quick scan on it before I started, but I didn’t think it was necessary to my enjoyment.

I read this book for a literary lecture series I attend. The author is joining us to discuss the book. I am so looking forward to that talk.

“ Knowing won’t make any difference at all, because you can only know something the first second you realize you know it, and after that the knowing is only a memory of knowing.Things change. Be happy with her when you have her, be happy with the mountains when you’re here.”

Published: 1981

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I would have known about this book had it not been for retired Edmonton librarian and friend Lindy (thank you Lindy.)

A crew is prospecting for uranium in remote areas in the Yukon Territory, and J.L. is hired as the cook without the man in charge realizing she is female. The story is pretty straightforward for the first half, told in rotating points of view by everyone at the camp (and the guy making helicopter runs.) Then in a somewhat dramatic turn, elements of mother nature mystique and connection to bears starts happening. I didn't see it coming!

Considering that this is also a modern retelling of Jael from the Book of Judges in the Bible, I was expecting that either J.L. had a more violent past than she seems to or that more violence would occur before the end than did.

It does touch on some elements of the Yukon, on prospecting, on the role of women in these kinds of fields, on the people drawn to this work. They also spend some time in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territory. Most of the people doing the work appear to be from Alberta, a place where even fewer books seem to be set!

[Ayicia Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this book. Not always engaging but the experience of being the only woman in a bush camp is too real, I was glad to share someone else’s feelings about it

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts off in realism with an interesting format - each character views events from their own perspective. As the novel moves on it moves more into a mystical realm but only subtly so (brief communions with bears).

I found each character to be believable and true to themselves. The backdrop of an exploration camp is interesting (but black nights in the summer in the Yukon? this kept throwing me whenever it was mentioned).

I think for those who know their Bible stories better would get more from this book than I did. Specifically, the prophetess/Judge Deborah and Jael and the murder of Sisera - thereby emancipating her people. Understanding this story and its context I think would help put the whole book into a more complete context and I would not have missed so much symbolism (at least I am pretty sure it is there for a better versed person than I). I am sure there is a lot of fodder for feminist literature students.

I look forward to my bookclub meeting to see what others have to say about it.

[Joce Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting at the cottage this past weekend. Could not put it down. I kept wanting to go put the kettle on for tea or grab a cold beer, but the pages kept turning and I was transfixed. For such a relatively simple story, the characters are complex and human - even the ones I grew to despise.

I have such a warm place in my heart for this story, for J.L., and for Aritha Van Herk.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on my parent’s bookshelf during a summer holiday, and absolutely devoured it. The Tent Peg delivers the classic trappings one would expect from a feminist novel published in the early 80s - “girls can do anything boys can do” is basically the whole premise of the book. However, despite secondwave feminism not having much appeal to me in 2025, I found this a really enjoyable read. The characters are vivid and the setting is beautiful. The novel also has depth, containing biblical references that are only gently explained to the reader, which sent me down a fascinating Wikipedia rabbit hole - something I always appreciate.

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a interesting read. This is the first book I have read of hers and would read another. I don't know what I expected, but I had a hard time putting it down. I liked the way it was written and how the characters developed.

[Joan Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

love,love,loved it -will reread!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book, story seen from many views. Makes for interesting read

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing of substance to say. Her prose is even more pretentious than she is as a person. Which is quite a feat actually.

[Isabel Chalmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was a really intriguing read and I thought about it for a good while after reading it too. If it had not been for a small thrift store in downtown Abbotsford, Vancouver, I would’ve never picked it up and I would have never read this noteworthy piece of literature.

Throughout the book it focuses on our main girl miss J.L who disguises herself as a man to work at a uranium camp in the Yukon mountains with nine other men. Each character has their own voice, own backstory and their perspectives all different and excellently written into their characters personalities. The idea behind the novel is intriguing and the way it’s written with such ambiguity it’s very likeable, I can see this book being used for high school papers as it can be referenced to the story of Jael from the bible.

Her presence in the camp very clearly disturbs the male friendships and camaraderie’s, they are all very drawn to her for each of their reasons being very much their own but ultimately falling back on the quiet, other worldly intelligence she walks around with.

The visual of the Canadian outdoors is beautifully written in too, so even if your not deep diving into this novel sniffing out a deeper meaning to everything, there’s humour in it and the scenery written is so clear and provided the reader with a sense of passion for adventure yet gratitude for the serenity and peace of the natural world.

How I would sum up this novel is if you just plainly read it you won’t get much from it, it’s just another realism novel. However, if you pick apart the messages, relationships between characters and J.L’s actions in response and her thoughts, I feel you will gain a deeper understanding of human relationships, navigating ones mind, the complexity of men and their somewhat inability too infiltrate their own fields of emotion and the simplicity of the outdoors and how confronting it can be.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowing the bible story of Jael and the tent peg is not a must before reading this book, but it does help. In some ways this book is a bit dated with its earth mother type references, but at the same time the way the men in the camp view JL it could have been written yesterday.

The story is told through the reflections of the characters, so each chapter is through a different lens. Some characters are more realistic than others. I found it hard to believe that some of the men in camp could be so beastly, but also so poetic in their thoughts.

The plot is a bit thin, but that doesn't really matter. There is some very nice writing and her metaphors are interesting to tease out. There is even some humor in there for good measure.

[Nadine Doolittle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I like The Tent Peg? Yes, I guess I did. I can't imagine giving it less than 4 stars because it's well-written and absorbing. But the story itself was slim or maybe I didn't get it. The main character heals the men of their various hang-ups. A goddess of sorts in the Arctic. The theme or the handling of theme is dated. I enjoyed it nevertheless.

Bit of a backhanded review/praise; Van Herk was writing for her time and from her experience. It's lyrical and metaphorical. Sometimes a gal just wants her to come out and say it already. Baby we've come a long way.

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books which have stuck with me for ages. I must have read it first when I was in my teens (which means at least 30 years ago), and since then probably a dozen times. Everything: the format, the plot, the setting, the characters, the narration style, everything is just fresh and interesting, and it has beautiful moments. Whenever I pick up this book, I can't put it down until I'm through with it. For me, it's a winner.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is beautifully written and engrossing; I was on the edge of my seat expecting a climactic event more devastating than what actually occurred, given the continual references to a Biblical account of someone being killed.

[Gord Higginson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this novel a quarter of a century ago and I still remember swaths of it...fascinating tale, evoking the Biblical story of Ja-el.