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Border Songs
Brandon Vanderkool’s severe dyslexia and six-foot-eight height give him an unusual perspective on his new job with the American Border Patrol, along the Washington/BC border - just a long, grassy ditch, really, barely dividing neighbours who used to be as congenial as those in any small community. Though his curious mind proves surprisingly adept at intercepting Canadian pot smugglers and potentially dangerous illegals, years of security hysteria and cross-border resentment - and a fascinating young Canadian who has turned her green thumb to a more lucrative crop - complicate Brandon’ s world in ways even he might not be able to see past.
Border Songs is that rare delight: a gently satirical portrait, an extraordinary love story and a celebration of the coincidental and the miraculous.
From the Hardcover edition.
Border Songs is that rare delight: a gently satirical portrait, an extraordinary love story and a celebration of the coincidental and the miraculous.
From the Hardcover edition.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
115 people are currently reading
1662 people want to read
About the author
Jim Lynch
27 books233 followersJim Lynch is the author of the novels The Highest Tide, Border Songs and Truth Like the Sun, all of which were performed on stage and won prizes, including an Indies Choice Honor Book Award, a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and a Dashiell Hammett Prize finalist. His next novel, Before the Wind, will be released in April 2016. As a newspaper reporter, Lynch has won national awards, including the Livingston Young Journalist Award. He lives in Olympia, Washington, with his wife and daughter.
Lynch's book tour with his next novel, "Before the Wind," will begin in mid-April 2016 and will feature visits to east and west coast bookstores and venues. Dates and locations will be available soon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 475 reviews
March 10, 2016
This is my first Jim Lynch novel so his style was totally unknown to me. But I was captivated by the opening sentence and the story that followed. There is a whole slew of slightly oddball characters in this novel.
The hero of our story is Brandon: he's 6ft 8in tall and solidly built, severely dyslexic, can mimic bird calls and likes to builds banners of made of leaves and towers of stones. He wants most of all to be inconspicuous. At his father's insistence, he's recently joined the US Border Patrol and has an uncanny knack of being at the right spot when drug smugglers attempt to cross the US/Canada border near where he is stationed. Norm, Brandon father, is a struggling small dairy farmer whose cows have been struck by a mystery illness. His knees are giving out on him and he wishes he'd sold out to the big milk conglomerates when they offered to buy his farm. His wife Jeanette, Brandon's mother and champion, is losing her memory and spends her days poring over old photos and memory flash cards. Their neighbor Sophie is a masseuse who spends her days filming interviews with her clients and Wayne, the guy across the Canadian border (a watery ditch), is a retired professor in the latter stages of MS who likes nothing more than to smoke dope and shout insults about USA at Norm.
There's been an increase in the drug runs across the border lately and Brandon's school friend, Madeleine, seems to be somehow involved. Brandon is an unlikely and amusing hero in his exploits as he apprehends the smugglers and is trying hard to avoid the publicity his successes are bringing him. His co-workers are both teasing and envious and his way of escape is in the woods where he fashions quilt-like curtains of leaves and communes with nature. A stranger is offering farmers a pay-off if they can use the land as a path across the border to avoid the Border Patrol and the town is rife with rumor. Norm has been approached by the stranger and the whole issue is causing him sleepless nights. Wayne is using the dope to combat his MS and has decided to emulate Einstein with some amusing results. None of the town knows exactly why Sophie is doing her interviews but everybody is talking to her.
Brandon is endearing and you find yourself in turn cringing then smiling for him. Our very unlikely hero finally gets what he wants most in the world which is exactly what his father does not wish for him. While the characters of this novel may seem a little loopy, the themes of drug smuggling, small town politics and the plight of small dairy farmers are all serious issues and Lynch approaches them as such. He builds the tension of the story well and the climax, or indeed anti-climax, is satisfying. A most enjoyable read and I'm glad my library suggested it to me. I will be reading more of Jim Lynch. 4★
June 29, 2012
Many reviews have given you a taste of the plot, I'll skip that and just tell you why I enjoyed Border Songs by Jim Lynch so much. This isn't the kind of book that will blow your hair back, or if you are follically challenged like me, it won't cause your heart to speed up, your breathing to accelerate or your stomach to knot up. Instead, it did just the opposite for me. It caused me to slow down and contemplate the beauty and wonder that are all around me each day, the beauty that I take for granted and simply don't see. . . let alone enJOY. It is the kind of book that invites you to get to know the quirky imperfect characters that are interconnected and care for each other amid their offenses against each other. It caused me to want to be more authentic and guileless. The story told is good, the way it is told is better. Have I read better writing? Have I been intriqued by more complex plots? Yes to both. But this is a really good book that will entertain you and maybe even cause you to slow down a bit and notice - then smell - the roses.
January 26, 2013
I had to check this book out for the cover art alone, which features a boiling mass of birds doing every darn thing birds do, on a falling tree limb by Walton Ford. And I suppose that piece might be a metaphor for the whole boiling mass of humanity but the book is really just about a small town. My small town, in fact. Yes. I mean Everson. Well – mostly Lynden. Even Sumas gets a mention. Some of the things my friends around here might recognize: the statue of liberty that used to be on that farm on the Guide, the farmer who is turning cow poop into electricity, the minutemen who help keep our border safe, the gas station on the corner of the Badger and Bender and the NY Pizza and Nuthouse Grill in the same mini-mall. Assorted bars and steak houses we might drink in if we drank. Lindsey Road and Trapline even make it into the book . Not main characters, but small supporting roles. Most of the action is on H street, Avenue Zero and Northwoods, close to the Casino. Jim Lynch does disguise the characters a bit, but you might think you know Border Patrol Supervisor Wheeler – who gets one line, and animal vet “Doc” Stremmler, who gets quite a few – and none of them flattering, just to name a couple. Having said all that, I can't tell if this book has appeal outside this region because it was just so much fun to read about places I know, and people whose names sound so very familiar. Its about a 6'8” border patrol agent with a gift for noticing. He is one odd duck of course, but kinda like Forrest Gump, seems to participate in every big drug bust and terrorist arrest in the last 5 years. I learned an awful lot about the cultivation and distribution of BC Bud (which is not a savory business), the progress of Alzheimer's, the gossipy nature of small towns, crazy dreams, the passionate forgetting of an artist at work, the sweet nature of true love, how to make a tapestry out of autumn leaves, and the painful path of authentic selfhood. I don't know if you would like it, but I did.
January 5, 2015
Border Songs is the second novel by American journalist and author, Jim Lynch. After training to join the Border Patrol in New Mexico eight months ago, Brandon Vanderkool is glad to be back home in the familiar northwest corner of his native Washington State. Brandon Vanderkool is NOT cool. Brandon is very tall, well-built, severely dyslexic and awkward around humans: never sure of what to say, mostly incapable of getting the joke, he relates much better to his father’s dairy cows, knows every bird and their call, and spends free time making unusual art.
But Brandon Vanderkool has something that makes him useful to Border Patrol: an innate ability to effortlessly sense what is out of place. He virtually trips over illegal aliens, would-be terrorists and drug smugglers. Soon enough, this draws the attention of the media and funding increases ensure more manpower and technology to protect the border from the Canadian threat. The drug and people smugglers escalate their efforts: locals react in various ways to intrusive technology and lucrative offers for safe passage across their land.
Lynch peoples his novel with a bunch of quirky characters: Brandon’s father, Norm is plagued by worries about his son, his increasingly demented wife, the half-completed yacht in his barn, his bad knee and the ill-health of his unfortunate cows; his across-the-border neighbour is a retired political sciences professor with MS who smokes pot, is busy reinventing common innovations and revels in shouting taunts across the ditch; the professor’s daughter is using her nursery experience to tend basement marijuana crops for the local pot kingpin, while fending off Brandon’s clumsy overtures.
There are farmers who have abandoned dairy for berries, invested in shit-to-power schemes, are opposed to the construction of a nearby Casino and share their opinions on Reader Boards out front of their farms. There is a mysterious masseuse who gathers gossip while sharing none about herself. Ducks are employed in an unusual manner. Brandon’s colleagues in the Border Patrol include a conscientious female trainer and a racist, chauvinist agent counting the days until his retirement. The threat of dairy terrorism, Minutemen, girl scouts, cheap stock feed, a bomb threat, a tunnel, an art show and Alzheimers all feature.
Brandon is a likeable character who is often a lot more insightful than people realise: “Reality is always more complicated than anybody says it is”. His interpretation of bird calls is both unique and charming. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this novel and Lynch also treats his readers to some marvellous descriptive prose: “He stared down at the ladies until their heavy eyelashes fluttered like hummingbird wings trying to lift them off the floor” and “…the birds spinning like ice skaters or stunt pilots before lining up side by side and carrying on in high, grating voices that sounded like glass marbles rubbing against one another” are just two examples. Original and utterly delightful. 4.5 stars
But Brandon Vanderkool has something that makes him useful to Border Patrol: an innate ability to effortlessly sense what is out of place. He virtually trips over illegal aliens, would-be terrorists and drug smugglers. Soon enough, this draws the attention of the media and funding increases ensure more manpower and technology to protect the border from the Canadian threat. The drug and people smugglers escalate their efforts: locals react in various ways to intrusive technology and lucrative offers for safe passage across their land.
Lynch peoples his novel with a bunch of quirky characters: Brandon’s father, Norm is plagued by worries about his son, his increasingly demented wife, the half-completed yacht in his barn, his bad knee and the ill-health of his unfortunate cows; his across-the-border neighbour is a retired political sciences professor with MS who smokes pot, is busy reinventing common innovations and revels in shouting taunts across the ditch; the professor’s daughter is using her nursery experience to tend basement marijuana crops for the local pot kingpin, while fending off Brandon’s clumsy overtures.
There are farmers who have abandoned dairy for berries, invested in shit-to-power schemes, are opposed to the construction of a nearby Casino and share their opinions on Reader Boards out front of their farms. There is a mysterious masseuse who gathers gossip while sharing none about herself. Ducks are employed in an unusual manner. Brandon’s colleagues in the Border Patrol include a conscientious female trainer and a racist, chauvinist agent counting the days until his retirement. The threat of dairy terrorism, Minutemen, girl scouts, cheap stock feed, a bomb threat, a tunnel, an art show and Alzheimers all feature.
Brandon is a likeable character who is often a lot more insightful than people realise: “Reality is always more complicated than anybody says it is”. His interpretation of bird calls is both unique and charming. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this novel and Lynch also treats his readers to some marvellous descriptive prose: “He stared down at the ladies until their heavy eyelashes fluttered like hummingbird wings trying to lift them off the floor” and “…the birds spinning like ice skaters or stunt pilots before lining up side by side and carrying on in high, grating voices that sounded like glass marbles rubbing against one another” are just two examples. Original and utterly delightful. 4.5 stars
July 31, 2011
Set in Blaine, Washington, Border Songs explores current security issues along the US-Canada Border. Jim Lynch, a journalist who used to work for the Seattle Times post Sep 11, writes with a touch of authencity about human trafficking, terrrorist threats, illegal cultivation of marijuana, and the drug trade that fueled... intense paranoia, which led to intensified border patrols. At center stage is Brandon Vanderkool, a quirky 6' 8" young man with dyslexia, farmer turned border patrol agent, who seemed to have an uncanny talent for apprehending drug runners and human smugglers. Vanderkool appeared much more attuned to birds, cows, and life in the forest than people, but his need to seek solace in nature accounted for his sensitivity to clues left behind by offenders and for his huge success as a law enforcement officer. His autistic and bumbling social inaptness was quite heart-breaking when he tried desperately to court Madeline Rousseau, his love interest from childhood days, who (unknown to him) was growing marijuana. I can't say I found Vanderkool or any of the characters endearing. But the biggest appeal for me was Lynch's superb use of imagery that vividly captured the enchanting raspberry patches, bird songs, and art in nature. There were some really beautiful passages.
March 16, 2013
As the four stars implies, I liked this book. In fact I really liked this book, but this year I am getting tougher on what gets a full five stars. In years past this book and his most recent would have been five stars (what a reviewer cop-out).
This book is the story of the U.S. Canadian border in WA state, it is a story of the people that live there, but ultimately it is the story of Brandon Vanderkool, how he interacts with the world and how the world interacts with him. Brandon is a huge (6'8"), dyslexic, in-tuned man who never quite fit in. He is wonder for those around him, a natural as a border patrol agent, and has a serious connection to the natural world. I found myself also struck by wonder by this larger than life (metaphorically and literally) character.
I think it would be fair to think of him as the hub of the wheel that makes up this story. What really fascinated me though are the spokes of that wheel, the individuals living along the border, each with their own set of problems and concerns, their lives so real and important. It is their story and their connections to Brandon that really bring the whole thing to life.
Not only is this is a book worth reading, it's a book I'll likely reread in a couple of years.
This book is the story of the U.S. Canadian border in WA state, it is a story of the people that live there, but ultimately it is the story of Brandon Vanderkool, how he interacts with the world and how the world interacts with him. Brandon is a huge (6'8"), dyslexic, in-tuned man who never quite fit in. He is wonder for those around him, a natural as a border patrol agent, and has a serious connection to the natural world. I found myself also struck by wonder by this larger than life (metaphorically and literally) character.
I think it would be fair to think of him as the hub of the wheel that makes up this story. What really fascinated me though are the spokes of that wheel, the individuals living along the border, each with their own set of problems and concerns, their lives so real and important. It is their story and their connections to Brandon that really bring the whole thing to life.
Not only is this is a book worth reading, it's a book I'll likely reread in a couple of years.
July 30, 2009
"Critics fell hard for the oversized and endearingly awkward Brandon Vanderkool, and marveled at Lynch's ability to create a ""fascinating protagonist"" (Vancouver Sun), ""an imaginative tour de force"" (Globe and Mail), and a highly original hero who is ""as Northwest as moss on a stump"" (Seattle Times). It was nice to see reviews from outside the Pacific Northwest as well. Lynch's humorous, sometimes melancholy depiction of small-town border life also brought favorable comparisons to Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo. Several critics felt the story was hampered by a crowded cast and storyline and a pat ending, but others enjoyed the colorful array of characters -- Madeline's pothead professor father in particular. Overall, critics deemed Border Songs a must-read, if only to be introduced to an irresistible new character in American literature."
December 14, 2009
Oh dear.
The premise seemed intriguing: cross-Canadian border drug running, in the remote parts of Washington state.
But the writing. Every sentence is about 50 words long, clumsily constructed, and full of strange, discordant, and ineffective imagery.
The characters? Both ludicrous and boring to read about. The main character is a 6'8" clumsy, bird-obsessed border patrolman with the brain of a simpleton. Much of his internal monologue is simply counting birds. Everyone's dialog is stilted and unnatural.
The plot? Not sure what it was, since I could only make it through by skimming.
The premise seemed intriguing: cross-Canadian border drug running, in the remote parts of Washington state.
But the writing. Every sentence is about 50 words long, clumsily constructed, and full of strange, discordant, and ineffective imagery.
The characters? Both ludicrous and boring to read about. The main character is a 6'8" clumsy, bird-obsessed border patrolman with the brain of a simpleton. Much of his internal monologue is simply counting birds. Everyone's dialog is stilted and unnatural.
The plot? Not sure what it was, since I could only make it through by skimming.
February 16, 2016
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.
Dyslexic Brandon Vanderkool has just joined the Border Patrol, but he would rather be working on his father’s dairy farm, exploring the woods, watching birds, and painting. Madeline Rousseau lives next door, just across the ditch that marks the US-Canadian border. Her father, Wayne, is a retired professor with multiple sclerosis who uses cannabis medicinally. Brandon’s father, Norm, has a bum knee, a dairy farm in trouble, and a wife with early Alzheimer’s. Into this mix add a masseuse who collects all the local gossip, and a drug lord who is recruiting growers and smugglers.
There is a certain magical realism to this book, though I hesitate to categorize it as such. Brandon has unusual gifts – he’s either incredibly lucky or is getting tipped off, because he catches more drug smugglers, potential terrorists and illegal aliens in his first weeks on the job than any two other officers. This serves as a basic plot outline for the book, but it is much more than that. The reader begins to explore Brandon’s odd way of looking at the world, of interacting with it, of representing it in his art. Some people claim to have seen him “fly.” Brandon certainly seems more attuned to the animal kingdom, especially the birds that so fascinate him, than to the people he works with or even his own family.
Lynch is writing about more than just the border between the US and Canada. He is also writing about the borders between neighbors, between members of the same family, between men and women, between man and nature, between feeling secure and feeling threatened. His viewpoint keeps the reader off balance, not sure what to make of happenings in and around the poorly marked border between Washington and British Columbia. No one in this book is a skilled communicator, and much is left unsaid. Brandon, in particular, keeps most of his thoughts to himself, yet is the one person who functions with little thought to these many borders.
I liked the book but it’s difficult to categorize, and I’m not sure to whom I would recommend it.
Dyslexic Brandon Vanderkool has just joined the Border Patrol, but he would rather be working on his father’s dairy farm, exploring the woods, watching birds, and painting. Madeline Rousseau lives next door, just across the ditch that marks the US-Canadian border. Her father, Wayne, is a retired professor with multiple sclerosis who uses cannabis medicinally. Brandon’s father, Norm, has a bum knee, a dairy farm in trouble, and a wife with early Alzheimer’s. Into this mix add a masseuse who collects all the local gossip, and a drug lord who is recruiting growers and smugglers.
There is a certain magical realism to this book, though I hesitate to categorize it as such. Brandon has unusual gifts – he’s either incredibly lucky or is getting tipped off, because he catches more drug smugglers, potential terrorists and illegal aliens in his first weeks on the job than any two other officers. This serves as a basic plot outline for the book, but it is much more than that. The reader begins to explore Brandon’s odd way of looking at the world, of interacting with it, of representing it in his art. Some people claim to have seen him “fly.” Brandon certainly seems more attuned to the animal kingdom, especially the birds that so fascinate him, than to the people he works with or even his own family.
Lynch is writing about more than just the border between the US and Canada. He is also writing about the borders between neighbors, between members of the same family, between men and women, between man and nature, between feeling secure and feeling threatened. His viewpoint keeps the reader off balance, not sure what to make of happenings in and around the poorly marked border between Washington and British Columbia. No one in this book is a skilled communicator, and much is left unsaid. Brandon, in particular, keeps most of his thoughts to himself, yet is the one person who functions with little thought to these many borders.
I liked the book but it’s difficult to categorize, and I’m not sure to whom I would recommend it.
July 5, 2009
i didn't read 'highest tide' when it came out. no real reason, other than the fact that i hate to jump on a band wagon, and, at least in the pacific northwest, the whole world was already reading it. but when 'border songs' came out, i got an advance and decided that i wasn't going to put off reading it.
i really like the real feel of the characters in this one. the style is simple, unadorned... perfect. i grew up in bellingham and spent a lot of time up north where this story takes place. it felt right -- familiar even. the characters are people i knew in some form. it may be part of the reason why i connected so well with the book. if i were from, say, dallas, would i have had the same experience? not really sure, but i suspect no. the weird mix of personalities and lifestyles in that corner of the world is so unique and i'm pretty pleased to be a part of it.
i don't want to discount lynch's writing, though. he spun a great story, and the character propelling the story, brandon, is certainly someone i should not have connected so readily with. brandon exists in 3 dimensions thanks to lynch's graceful storytelling ability. the beauty of this story and world will stick to the bones -- maybe a novel i'll even re-read. given how many books there are in this world and how little time there is, i rarely expect to give something a 2nd read.
i really like the real feel of the characters in this one. the style is simple, unadorned... perfect. i grew up in bellingham and spent a lot of time up north where this story takes place. it felt right -- familiar even. the characters are people i knew in some form. it may be part of the reason why i connected so well with the book. if i were from, say, dallas, would i have had the same experience? not really sure, but i suspect no. the weird mix of personalities and lifestyles in that corner of the world is so unique and i'm pretty pleased to be a part of it.
i don't want to discount lynch's writing, though. he spun a great story, and the character propelling the story, brandon, is certainly someone i should not have connected so readily with. brandon exists in 3 dimensions thanks to lynch's graceful storytelling ability. the beauty of this story and world will stick to the bones -- maybe a novel i'll even re-read. given how many books there are in this world and how little time there is, i rarely expect to give something a 2nd read.
February 25, 2012
The description of the country between Canada and NW US is terrific and makes me want to visit there. Brandon is a wonderful character -- obviously gifted in many ways, and not being able to fit in. I love that he listens (and counts) the birds he sees and hears. He is a member of the Border Patrol and always happens to be just in the right place to append a drug runner or illegal. For example, one time it was starting to rain and he lay down on the dirt with his gun in his hand and you are thinking what the heck? And when it stops raining he gets up -- with his gun in hand --just as some drug mules are in front of him (he was making some kind of "art" by blocking the rain with his body). His fellow BP call him the shit magnet. In the meantime his father is dealing with issues of his own including a wife (Brandon's mother) who is obviously in some sort of mental decline. Another character lives across the ditch from Brandon as a childhood "friend" Madeline who become embroiled with marijuana growers and quite a pot head. Brandon loves her and saves her in the end. It took me a while to get into the rhythm of this writer, but it was well worth it to hang in there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2021
I really liked this one from the setting on the Washington-Canada border to the unusual characters on either side of the very thin, very permeable 39th parallel. At the center of the story is brand new border patrol agent Brandon. Raised in a dairy farm and probably on the Austrian spectrum, he has a particular affinity for birds and creating unusual art, which inexplicably makes him the best border patrol agent in the state. As he racks up illegal border crossers, at home things aren’t so great. His mom is showing signs of early dementia and his father has a sick herd that keeps getting sicker.
Across the border, Brandon’s neighbors have their own crises, from a retired professor obsessed with recreating past inventions to Brandon’s childhood friend making very questionable career decisions.
This story felt akin to Virgil Wander, which I loved, and has a wonderful cast of characters. The hard things are treated lightly enough that they don’t depress and there is something of a happy ending for everyone but within the confines of the real world.
Across the border, Brandon’s neighbors have their own crises, from a retired professor obsessed with recreating past inventions to Brandon’s childhood friend making very questionable career decisions.
This story felt akin to Virgil Wander, which I loved, and has a wonderful cast of characters. The hard things are treated lightly enough that they don’t depress and there is something of a happy ending for everyone but within the confines of the real world.
March 30, 2012
More like couldn't even get started! I wanted to read this because it is clearly set in and around Lynden where one of our daughters lives. Also, I have had so many different experiences with the border patrol that I thought it would be fun. I knew all the border guys (all men then) when we lived in Bonners and they were nice, real, regular people. I have had some very funny exchanges with the border patrol (one time they asked us "Where do you love?" instead of "Where do you live?" - we were so cool with it). And we have had some real difficult nuts too. And, the author is local - from Olympia.
But, the first chapter was awful. Well, I thought, give it a chance. The second chapter was worse. Decided I owed myself the right to not read this. (Thank you Cheryl)
But, the first chapter was awful. Well, I thought, give it a chance. The second chapter was worse. Decided I owed myself the right to not read this. (Thank you Cheryl)
June 4, 2018
"Astronauts footprints stay on the moon forever, because there's no wind to blow them away."
August 5, 2018
What a great gem of a novel. Moving, engaging, full of fascinating quirky facts about everything from dairy farming to deep tissue massage to bird song to grow ops. Sweetly romantic and terrifically timely too. It reminds me of the best of John Irving.
June 24, 2018
Boring.
February 1, 2025
Got me out of a reading slump. Story switches narrators each character feels like you’ve know em before. Liked reading it at the farmers markets the dairy farm northern Washington setting felt very market.
September 23, 2022
The main character of Border Songs is Brandon Vanderkool, a fascinating character: avid birdwatcher, brilliant artist, sadly misplaced in a new job in the U.S. Border Patrol at the book's start. He's also physically imposing (tall, brawny and strong), described as dyslexic and seemingly somewhere on the autism spectrum. In his job, he has uncanny "luck" in running across undocumented immigrants crossing and marijuana smugglers crossing from Canada into Washington state - usually when he's actually in pursuit of a bird whose call he has heard. Brandon is very well defined, his struggles are interesting. There's also a lot about his father's struggles as a dairyman and his mother's struggles with memory. Lots of struggling here. It seems that author Lynch is presenting most of the other characters as comic, quirky oddballs. I sense he's trying to bring out the absurdity of the situation on the border, reaching to wring as much humor out of it as possible. It's like sometimes he's trying for a comic novel with a serious message, but mostly things are serious. There are also a lot of characters who for me were not as fully realized, giving me trouble keeping them all straight. I have another of Lynch's books, "Before the Wind" in physical form on my book shelf. I will give him another chance with that one; written a few years after Border Songs, it may be a better one for me.
February 17, 2017
I fell in love with Jim Lynch's writing upon reading The Highest Tide, and knew I would definitely read another of his books when given a chance. While Border Songs doesn't have the thrilling narrative of his earlier work (and seriously it would be hard to top it), it is still a fine work of fiction.
Lynch presents a border community in the Pacific Northwest, where a six foot eight inch tall young man, with autism and dyslexia, proves to he has a gift for spotting illicit activities as a Border Patrol agent. I loved the story of Brandon Vanderkool, particularly how Lynch gets into his head so the reader sees with the particular acuity of his subject. It is post 9/11 and in addition to illegal immigrants, the border is trafficked by drug runners and the threat of terrorism. In the midst of these events, the local community is suffering economically, and it's inhabitants are finding it difficult to resist the financial benefits that come with turning a blind eye to illegal border activities.
With today's news reports filled with concerns about immigration, drugs and economic malaise, this book becomes even more poignant in an attempt to understand how these forces (and political ones) can affect a farming community.
Lynch presents a border community in the Pacific Northwest, where a six foot eight inch tall young man, with autism and dyslexia, proves to he has a gift for spotting illicit activities as a Border Patrol agent. I loved the story of Brandon Vanderkool, particularly how Lynch gets into his head so the reader sees with the particular acuity of his subject. It is post 9/11 and in addition to illegal immigrants, the border is trafficked by drug runners and the threat of terrorism. In the midst of these events, the local community is suffering economically, and it's inhabitants are finding it difficult to resist the financial benefits that come with turning a blind eye to illegal border activities.
With today's news reports filled with concerns about immigration, drugs and economic malaise, this book becomes even more poignant in an attempt to understand how these forces (and political ones) can affect a farming community.
February 3, 2011
I'd heard some nay-saying about this book, so was anxious to see for myself. I loved it.
The main character, Brandon Vanderkool is a physically imposing but clumsy, socially inept young man who has gone to work for the Border Patrol in northwest Washington. He is obsessed with the appearance, sounds and behaviors of birds. His attention to them seems to drive other crazy, or prompt them to laugh at him, but in his search for more birds to count, he unwittingly finds many people attempting to cross the border for illegal activities -- either immigration or drug transportation.
His uncanny observation techniques and affection for the neighbor girl across the border lead him to discover that she is involved in some pretty dangerous activities, and he disrupts the business which eventually leads to Madeline improving her life and possibly becoming the love of Brandon's life.
I enjoyed the familiar name places in the book, which is set in an area I've lived in, and the story of a person who doesn't seem like a hero, being a hero and a good person. Brandon is described early in the book as being possibly autistic. I have a grandson with this challenging condition, and seeing a young man surmount the difficulties of a condition like this and move forward to a more successful life was a hopeful experience.
The main character, Brandon Vanderkool is a physically imposing but clumsy, socially inept young man who has gone to work for the Border Patrol in northwest Washington. He is obsessed with the appearance, sounds and behaviors of birds. His attention to them seems to drive other crazy, or prompt them to laugh at him, but in his search for more birds to count, he unwittingly finds many people attempting to cross the border for illegal activities -- either immigration or drug transportation.
His uncanny observation techniques and affection for the neighbor girl across the border lead him to discover that she is involved in some pretty dangerous activities, and he disrupts the business which eventually leads to Madeline improving her life and possibly becoming the love of Brandon's life.
I enjoyed the familiar name places in the book, which is set in an area I've lived in, and the story of a person who doesn't seem like a hero, being a hero and a good person. Brandon is described early in the book as being possibly autistic. I have a grandson with this challenging condition, and seeing a young man surmount the difficulties of a condition like this and move forward to a more successful life was a hopeful experience.
September 15, 2014
I liked Border Songs, by Jim Lynch. It starts off with a light heart and some giggles, and then the tension builds as you begin to worry about the fates of the characters and the changing way of life along the US/Canada border (which, in this book, set in northwestern Washington, is marked by a two-foot ditch). The story features a young artist, birds of many species, life on a dairy farm, pot smuggling, and a couple of love stories. Mr. Lynch is a very good writer. (There was one confusing sentence near the end of the book that I had to read three times before I got it.)
I learned about indian plum or osoberry (Oemlaria cerasiformis), a deciduous shrub native to Washington (see King County Native Plant Guide).
Favorite quote: "You know what genius is, Soph? It's the thrill of originality so profound it can surprise you, move you, even lift you. How can anyone hear Glenn Gould, really hear him, and not be moved? He read music before he could read words. Or Coltrane, who spent eleven hours a day doing nothing but scales. Nothing but scales, Sophie. Or Einstein! That weirdo changed our notion of time! Don't just say it. Feel it! Changed our notion of time." (So says Wayne on pg. 233, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, hardcover edition)
I learned about indian plum or osoberry (Oemlaria cerasiformis), a deciduous shrub native to Washington (see King County Native Plant Guide).
Favorite quote: "You know what genius is, Soph? It's the thrill of originality so profound it can surprise you, move you, even lift you. How can anyone hear Glenn Gould, really hear him, and not be moved? He read music before he could read words. Or Coltrane, who spent eleven hours a day doing nothing but scales. Nothing but scales, Sophie. Or Einstein! That weirdo changed our notion of time! Don't just say it. Feel it! Changed our notion of time." (So says Wayne on pg. 233, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, hardcover edition)
Read
May 8, 2022"Border Songs" by Jim Lynch. (SPOILER ALERT -- Some comments)
It is about the rural community along the border between USA and Canada between Bellingham and Vancouver/Abbotsford. Jim Lynch is a local (Seattle) author who has been well received by reviewers nationally. The book is set before Washington legalized cannabis, but it's not just about cannabis. It is about a Border Patrol agent, his family and friends in this fairly tight rural international community.
It involves:
Marijuana growing and smuggling
Illegal immigration and terrorist smuggling
The joys and economics of dairy farming
Gentrification
Autism/dyslexia
Bird watching/counting
Art in a primitive style
Boatbuilding in a barn
Alzheimer's
"Know something?" Brandon said, "I think the most interesting people I'll meet these days will be criminals -- or people about to become criminals.
Cast of Characters (Partial)
Principal and Other Characters
· Brandon Vanderkool -- 23-year-old 6'8" dyslexic nature observer made Border Patrol to try to "straighten him out." Resigned after his father's stroke
· Sophie Winslow -- masseuse, videographer, artist, gossip-harvester, oral historian of now. (Page 278)
· Norm Vanderkool -- Brandon's 63-year-old father, a struggling dairy farmer who also dreams of completing construction of a 38-foot double-ended ocean-worthy sloop in his barn, has an ischemic stroke
· Jeanette Vanderkool -- Brandon's mother, is developing symptoms of Alzheimer's
· Danny Crawford - Brandon's childhood friend, protector, instructor in how to act normal, gone but not forgotten
· Madeline Rousseau -- Brandon's Canadian classmate and love of his life, finally has sex with Brandon
· Wayne Rousseau -- Madeline's father, retired University political science professor, re-inventor, has MS
· Nicole Rousseau -- Madeline's older sister, stockbroker with Kunkel and Bradford
· Michael -- Nicole's fiance/husband?, anesthesiologist
· Dr. Matthew Egan, Professor of Fine Arts at Western Washington University, references Andy Goldsworthy
Marijuana Characters
· Fisher -- Madeline's marijuana grower/smuggler boss
· Toby -- Tobias C. Foster, another marijuana grower/ transporter
· Manny (Emmanuel Pagaduan) -- American smuggler friend of Madeline's
· Michael -- a large UBC undergrad, recruiting US landowners to let smugglers cross their land, grower, transporter
· Mr. Pearson -- Brandon's 6th grade math teacher, caught smuggling people across the border
· Chas Landers -- Cranberry farmer, found duffel bag containing $68,000 and turned it in to the police
· Dirk Hoffman -- Right-wing neighbor with a political signboard, on chemo, drug smuggler
Border Patrol Characters
· Dionne -- Brandon's BP trainer and work partner, has sex with Brandon
· Dallas -- Dionne's daughter
· Chief Tony Patera -- BP sector boss
· McAfferty -- another BP agent, a "Roadie" (retired on active duty)
· Agent Rick Talley, personal radiation detector
· Minutemen -- want to help build a fence no locals want
Agricultural Characters
· Pearl --- Norm's favorite dairy cow, dies of bad fermented feed
· Doc Stremmler -- local large animal veterinarian, conservative, drug smuggler
· Roony Meurs -- Norm's inept dairy hand
· Rebecca Wright -- EPA inspector
· Palmer --An Everson farmer with cheap feed
· Raymond Lankhaar -- rich dairy farmer, against casino, cows died of bad feed
· Morris Crawford -- Cranberry farmer
Talking Points
1. What's your take on the title, "Border Songs"? Does the book have a story arc, or is it more a collection of songs about a community that taken together give you a feeling about the place and time? Does it feel like the somewhere you know?
2. What did you think of the development of the character of Brandon Vanderkool? Was his character fully fleshed out? Was it consistent? How did it fit with your expectation of a person with his purported personality attributes? By being placed in the BP was Brandon somehow being abused? Is he a willing or unwilling hero?
3. Does he have superpowers? Which of Brandon's superpowers would you most like to have? Size and strength? Ability to See and Know birds and other animals in their natural setting? Sense of the artistic beauty resting within natural objects and settings? Ability to draw and paint both representationally and impressionistic? Innocence and literal acceptance?
4. How did Sophie Winslow fit into the community? As a non-native, how did she accomplish so much encouraging people to share their secrets? At times did you think she was a spy for ... someone? Was her character a stand-in for the author?
5. Aside from Brandon's pivotal personality peculiarities, several of the characters have illnesses. Wayne has MS. Jeanette has early-stage Alzheimer's. Norm has an ischemic stroke. Several others have cancer. Does this seem to be a representative North American community? If you had any of those illness, on which side of the border would you wish to live?
6. To what extent was the Border Patrol community consistent with your understanding of, or expectation for, the way that organization would work?
7. What are your feelings about the Border Patrol? Do they do what you think they should do? Are they a necessary intrusion? Do they overreach? Did this book make you think that individual BP agents might actually be human? Have ever met or do you know any BP agents?
8. Does the description of dairy farming make you want to enter that field? Are dairy farmers given the respect and compensation they deserve?
9. Do you know anyone who worked on boatbuilding? Was the description of Norm's indoor boatbuilding efforts realistic?
10. How do you think the Canada-USA border has changed since the time in which this book is set?
11. Is this book an "American" story, not giving enough airtime to Canadians and their POV?
12. Do you feel that after reading this book you better know the region along that piece of border? Would you like to visit and explore it? Have you explored it?
It is about the rural community along the border between USA and Canada between Bellingham and Vancouver/Abbotsford. Jim Lynch is a local (Seattle) author who has been well received by reviewers nationally. The book is set before Washington legalized cannabis, but it's not just about cannabis. It is about a Border Patrol agent, his family and friends in this fairly tight rural international community.
It involves:
Marijuana growing and smuggling
Illegal immigration and terrorist smuggling
The joys and economics of dairy farming
Gentrification
Autism/dyslexia
Bird watching/counting
Art in a primitive style
Boatbuilding in a barn
Alzheimer's
"Know something?" Brandon said, "I think the most interesting people I'll meet these days will be criminals -- or people about to become criminals.
Cast of Characters (Partial)
Principal and Other Characters
· Brandon Vanderkool -- 23-year-old 6'8" dyslexic nature observer made Border Patrol to try to "straighten him out." Resigned after his father's stroke
· Sophie Winslow -- masseuse, videographer, artist, gossip-harvester, oral historian of now. (Page 278)
· Norm Vanderkool -- Brandon's 63-year-old father, a struggling dairy farmer who also dreams of completing construction of a 38-foot double-ended ocean-worthy sloop in his barn, has an ischemic stroke
· Jeanette Vanderkool -- Brandon's mother, is developing symptoms of Alzheimer's
· Danny Crawford - Brandon's childhood friend, protector, instructor in how to act normal, gone but not forgotten
· Madeline Rousseau -- Brandon's Canadian classmate and love of his life, finally has sex with Brandon
· Wayne Rousseau -- Madeline's father, retired University political science professor, re-inventor, has MS
· Nicole Rousseau -- Madeline's older sister, stockbroker with Kunkel and Bradford
· Michael -- Nicole's fiance/husband?, anesthesiologist
· Dr. Matthew Egan, Professor of Fine Arts at Western Washington University, references Andy Goldsworthy
Marijuana Characters
· Fisher -- Madeline's marijuana grower/smuggler boss
· Toby -- Tobias C. Foster, another marijuana grower/ transporter
· Manny (Emmanuel Pagaduan) -- American smuggler friend of Madeline's
· Michael -- a large UBC undergrad, recruiting US landowners to let smugglers cross their land, grower, transporter
· Mr. Pearson -- Brandon's 6th grade math teacher, caught smuggling people across the border
· Chas Landers -- Cranberry farmer, found duffel bag containing $68,000 and turned it in to the police
· Dirk Hoffman -- Right-wing neighbor with a political signboard, on chemo, drug smuggler
Border Patrol Characters
· Dionne -- Brandon's BP trainer and work partner, has sex with Brandon
· Dallas -- Dionne's daughter
· Chief Tony Patera -- BP sector boss
· McAfferty -- another BP agent, a "Roadie" (retired on active duty)
· Agent Rick Talley, personal radiation detector
· Minutemen -- want to help build a fence no locals want
Agricultural Characters
· Pearl --- Norm's favorite dairy cow, dies of bad fermented feed
· Doc Stremmler -- local large animal veterinarian, conservative, drug smuggler
· Roony Meurs -- Norm's inept dairy hand
· Rebecca Wright -- EPA inspector
· Palmer --An Everson farmer with cheap feed
· Raymond Lankhaar -- rich dairy farmer, against casino, cows died of bad feed
· Morris Crawford -- Cranberry farmer
Talking Points
1. What's your take on the title, "Border Songs"? Does the book have a story arc, or is it more a collection of songs about a community that taken together give you a feeling about the place and time? Does it feel like the somewhere you know?
2. What did you think of the development of the character of Brandon Vanderkool? Was his character fully fleshed out? Was it consistent? How did it fit with your expectation of a person with his purported personality attributes? By being placed in the BP was Brandon somehow being abused? Is he a willing or unwilling hero?
3. Does he have superpowers? Which of Brandon's superpowers would you most like to have? Size and strength? Ability to See and Know birds and other animals in their natural setting? Sense of the artistic beauty resting within natural objects and settings? Ability to draw and paint both representationally and impressionistic? Innocence and literal acceptance?
4. How did Sophie Winslow fit into the community? As a non-native, how did she accomplish so much encouraging people to share their secrets? At times did you think she was a spy for ... someone? Was her character a stand-in for the author?
5. Aside from Brandon's pivotal personality peculiarities, several of the characters have illnesses. Wayne has MS. Jeanette has early-stage Alzheimer's. Norm has an ischemic stroke. Several others have cancer. Does this seem to be a representative North American community? If you had any of those illness, on which side of the border would you wish to live?
6. To what extent was the Border Patrol community consistent with your understanding of, or expectation for, the way that organization would work?
7. What are your feelings about the Border Patrol? Do they do what you think they should do? Are they a necessary intrusion? Do they overreach? Did this book make you think that individual BP agents might actually be human? Have ever met or do you know any BP agents?
8. Does the description of dairy farming make you want to enter that field? Are dairy farmers given the respect and compensation they deserve?
9. Do you know anyone who worked on boatbuilding? Was the description of Norm's indoor boatbuilding efforts realistic?
10. How do you think the Canada-USA border has changed since the time in which this book is set?
11. Is this book an "American" story, not giving enough airtime to Canadians and their POV?
12. Do you feel that after reading this book you better know the region along that piece of border? Would you like to visit and explore it? Have you explored it?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 25, 2011Boy, I wanted to love this book so badly. Jim Lynch's first book, The Highest Tide, was absolutely beautiful. This book is equally well-written and at times it tugs some emotional strings, but despite the fact that the main character is amazingly memorable, the book never fully hooked me.
Six-foot, eight-inch Brandon Vanderkool, a dyslexic, artistically-bent "gentle giant," has been pushed by his father off their dairy farm into working for the Border Guard, patrolling the border between Canada and the US. With no real grasp of the magnitude of his work, Brandon continues searching for different bird species and creating artwork from nature while stumbling into some major arrests. And all around him trouble ensues, as the tensions between the US and Canada escalate, his father's dairy farm is struggling, his mother's health is failing and his neighbor, with whom he always has been smitten, has fallen in with a drug-running, drug-smuggling crowd. If Lynch had spent more time on Brandon and his family and those closest to him and less time on his work in the Border Patrol and all of the goings-on I think it would have resonated more for me.
Six-foot, eight-inch Brandon Vanderkool, a dyslexic, artistically-bent "gentle giant," has been pushed by his father off their dairy farm into working for the Border Guard, patrolling the border between Canada and the US. With no real grasp of the magnitude of his work, Brandon continues searching for different bird species and creating artwork from nature while stumbling into some major arrests. And all around him trouble ensues, as the tensions between the US and Canada escalate, his father's dairy farm is struggling, his mother's health is failing and his neighbor, with whom he always has been smitten, has fallen in with a drug-running, drug-smuggling crowd. If Lynch had spent more time on Brandon and his family and those closest to him and less time on his work in the Border Patrol and all of the goings-on I think it would have resonated more for me.
July 9, 2015
A terrific read about as motley a band of armed and/or disarming characters you're likely to meet along the British Columbia-Washington State border. Our protagonist is Brian Vanderkool, a 6'8" rookie Border Patrol Officer who would just as soon spot birds and create environmental art pieces as track and apprehend illegals, and smugglers. Problem is he's what his colleagues call a "shit magnet," and if there's anything untoward going on anywhere near he spots it. It's Brian's extended circle that we spend time with, and they're a hoot, from the Canadian anarchist professor shouting across the ditch that makes the border, to the pot lords in the mansions on the hill, to the love interest that has more problems than you can shake a doobie at.
Border Songs brings some much needed humor to the post-9/11 world of dope and terrorism in an area where it's really the dope that counts. It's current- events-dated what with legalization in WA, but recent news doesn't subtract from the story or the pleasure of the read.
Border Songs brings some much needed humor to the post-9/11 world of dope and terrorism in an area where it's really the dope that counts. It's current- events-dated what with legalization in WA, but recent news doesn't subtract from the story or the pleasure of the read.
March 18, 2013
I really enjoyed the bits about bird-watching and his skillful creation of character and community (made it feel very real), but, if there is any weakness, perhaps I’d say that I felt the rest of the plot was only loosely tied together and never quite convinced me as to why I should car or read about this community. Also, never quite explained why Brandon was so good at catching the border runners; merely hinted that it was some sort of savant-type quality of his, that came along part and parcel with his dyslexia/affinity for bird-watching? I really did enjoy the bits about bird-watching, though, as I mentioned. That part was cool, as we have gotten into a bit ourselves, with two bird feeders out on our patio and one outside our kitchen window. Also, our neighbor and cat-sitter gave us a Virginia birding book which we like to use to identify the birds which we see come to our feeders!
March 15, 2010
this is a story of the american border; the northern american border, which most of us I think, rarely consider. but it has become an increasing problem area, and very understaffed to meet the challenge of the modern-day bad guys. so, into this setting is put our unlikely hero, a 6 foot 8 inch highly functioning autistic and savant artist. he manages to pass the border police exam through a serirs of happy accidents, and because of his unique way of seeing the world around him, becomes the arrest record holder. It's filled with his family, canadian neighbors, and fellow workers, all just a shade off center. this is a warm and funny book, with amusing phrasing and touching situations, humor and pathos side by side. it also gives you a look at autism from the inside out, and gave me a greater understanding of a different way of thinking. a fun read, with lots of smiles.
March 22, 2010
Lynch constructed an entire community around Brendan Van der Koop the new border patrol agent from Linden,Washington. I loved him and wish I could hang out with him like his neighbor the masseuse who videotapes him whenever she gets the chance. Brendan can't stop himself from doing bird lists in his head as he goes through his day. Then at night or on his days off, he paints or sculpts the people he encounters including those whom he arrests. You begin to think that autism is a real gift. Even if you are hyper-sensitive to the world around you, that's a better state than the lack of mindfulness by which most of us proceed through our days.
Brenden's Dad on the other hand was so miserable and downtrodden by his dairy and his wife's dementia that I almost had to skip the parts about him. But stick to his story too, it's very satisfying.
I loved this book.
Brenden's Dad on the other hand was so miserable and downtrodden by his dairy and his wife's dementia that I almost had to skip the parts about him. But stick to his story too, it's very satisfying.
I loved this book.
February 25, 2011
I had no intention of reading this book until I attended a book signing by Lynch in which he recognized me as a participant in a discussion about his first book, Highest Tide. He was so genuinely glad to see me, I succumbed. I ended up giving it, unread, to my son who lives in Canada for his birthday. He got a huge kick out of it, as an expat living in B.C. Now it's my turn to read it, and although it took me a a number of chapters to get into it, I'm now looking for excuses to read it (as in, "Should I take the bus downtown today, instead of the car?"). I'm reminded of Tom Robbins--the quirky characters and their often unexpected reactions. I was tickled to learn of the Washington State book award just earned for this title--because I think of Lynch as being humble and surprised at his success so far. I feel like I've helped discover and encourage his writing.
December 17, 2012
Oh what a book - such real and flawed and charming characters! This is one of the best examples I have ever read of the maxim character is story and story is character. What brilliance Jim Lynch has created with Brandon - an over-sized dyslexic artist + birder who lives on the border between Canada and Washington - and how because of who he is - his talents and foibles - creates story events. And the writing! I highly recommend if you love stories about endearing real characters; stories involving obsessive birders; if you got a thing for Andy Goldsworthy; if you find borders fascinating; and if you love good writing.
February 28, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. I'd previously read "The Highest Tide" by the same author. The main character is similar in both books but is a child in "The Highest Tide" and an adult in Border Songs. Brandon appears to be autistic but his autism is seen through its positive aspects much more than its negative ones. It's a gentle book although it covers a lot of heavy issues along the way including death, disability, sex, internal and international politics, the wars against drugs and terrors.
The lasting impression is that it's a book about how to be peaceful, mindful of your surroundings and happy with simplicity.
The lasting impression is that it's a book about how to be peaceful, mindful of your surroundings and happy with simplicity.
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