Halfway Man

by Wayland Drew

"My name is Travis Nishigwun. I belong in the north-on the shore of Lake Superior and in the Shield beyond. I belong where the lakes are still the eyes of the earth, and where the shadows of invisible beings move on the snow in moonlight. I belong where there are spirits still."

This gentle moving novel is about the wilderness north of 60: what it holds to be most real, what happens when the white man moves in, what remains when he leaves. Wayland Drew is a cool, beautiful writer who cares deeply about words and the world they are meant to shape.

219 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Wayland Drew (1932-1998) was a writer born in Oshawa, Ontario. He attended Victoria College at the University of Toronto, where he earned a BA in English Language and Literature (1957). Shortly after graduation he married Gwendolyn Parrott and together they raised four children. From 1961-1994 he was a high school teacher in Port Perry, Bracebridge, and Muskoka Lakes. He also worked for the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Drew began to write seriously in high school and published a number of short stories (to magazines such as The Tamarack Review) and non-fiction pieces throughout his career, while also selling radio and film scripts. His first novel (and sometimes stated to be his best) was The Wabeno Feast (1973). While rooted in Northern Ontario, the story indicted modern industrial civilization as an extension of the European colonization of Canada by depicting an entire society's fall into ruin. In her essay on "Canadian Monsters: Some Aspects of the Supernatural in Canadian Fiction ", Margaret Atwood noted that Drew's use of the aboriginal wabeno revealed a concern "with man's relationship to his society and to himself, as opposed to his relationship with the natural environment" and she concluded that Drew's novel combined "both concerns in a rather allegorical and very contemporary fashion".

Many readers, though, surely know him better as the author of an ecological science fiction trilogy, the Erthring Cycle (1984-1986), and of several movie novelizations (Corvette Summer, Dragonslayer, Batteries Not Included, and Willow, the last three of which were translated into French and the second in German). His non-fiction also reflected his concern for the environment and interest for Canadian landscapes, as seen in books such as Superior: The Haunted Shore and A Sea Within: the Gulf of St. Lawrence. His final novel, Halfway Man (1989), echoed themes from his first, The Wabeno Feast.

Reviews

[Kristy Grainger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was just remembering one of the best English teachers I ever had. I was so sad to hear that he'd died so soon after retiring.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the CELP book! I've read it twice, once as a CELPer and once as a co-op student. It's beautiful and life-changing, well-written with strong imagery and stories about how we can and should be in this world. My first real exposure to Canadian Indigenous literature.

[Quiller Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Images to keep with you for a life time

[Joan Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it ! My husband loved it ! And you will love it too ,especially if you are from or have been in the north.

[E.D.E. Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me a long time ago, I believe for its regional interest. (The book takes place in the Lake Superior region.) It’s been sitting in a pile of “to read” books for years.

This book is hard for me to rate, because I enjoyed the writing, but my understanding is this book was part of a wave between the 1960s and 1980s of white authors looking to highlight the challenges of (and thus writing from the perspective of) indigenous people. At the time, I am sure no harm was intended, but through a modern lens, there are concerns about authenticity and representation of culture. It is possible that Mr. Drew collaborated with indigenous groups during the book’s creation, but I can’t see that from searching online.

The story itself is interesting and sort of odd. (I respect odd.) I liked the beginning of the book a lot better, for its wandering storytelling and richness of characters. As the book went on, the plot became a bit more narrow, building to a couple of events that I think most readers would see coming. I’m still keeping it at a four, though - it was just sort of weird and with moments of rich imagery, which I liked.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple tale with a lot to say.
I liked this more than I figured I would. I do wonder if the spelling errors were on purpose, but besides that this was as good as it could have been. Which was quite good

[Vionna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Northern Ontario around Lake Superior, this was a very magical,lyrical book about aboriginals trying to save their way of life against commercial development.It was also the story about Travis Niskigwun who is trying to save the past and live in the present times and Michael Gardner who lost his way and his wife and who is trying to find his way back. This book will live with me for a long time.

[Linda Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical descriptions and mystical experiences lead the reader to experience the Lake Superior wilderness in a way only a native can. Explains why going "Up North" is a significant event in personal development for many.

[Stacey Speers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the ideas, and the imagery, but found it hard to get through.

I'd like to try picking it up another time, maybe I'd appreciate it more later.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What were the names of the stories he told to his nephews? Specifically the one about many arms.

[Jean]

amazing