The 53rd Parallel

River of Lakes #1

by Carl Nordgren

In his evocative debut novel Carl Nordgren weaves an ambitious tale about the power of dreams, the hope of new beginnings, and the dangers of ghosts who haunt our past.

In The 53rd Parallel, book one of the River of Lakes series, Brian Burke emigrates from 1950s West Ireland to the wilderness of Northwest Ontario with his partner Maureen O’Toole. He’s been exiled from his village, and she is running from her IRA past.

The dreams of an Ojibway clan elder bring the Irish to the sacred place on the River, where they build The Great Lodge of Innish Cove. The dreams tell of a white man who will destroy the River and another who will protect it. While the Ojibway believe Brian and Maureen are the River’s guardians, Maureen’s IRA connections and the construction of a pulp mill upstream threaten to destroy the newly created Eden before it even begins.

Under the watchful eye of a warrior spirit, the clan and their Irish companions risk all they love to protect the River and the promises it holds for their future. The fates of the two groups will intertwine as both seek to ward off the encroachment of the modern world.

In The 53rd Parallel readers will find a rich tapestry that weaves together the literary influences of such giants as Peter Matthiessen, Ken Kesey, Jack London, and Ernest Hemingway (whose son appears in Book 2 of the River of Lakes series).

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Literary Fiction, Native American, Mystery, Canada

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2014

About the author

Carl Nordgren was born in Greenville, Mississippi where his great grandmother’s house was across the street from the boyhood home of author Walker Percy. Carl has worked as a fishing guide on the English River in Northwestern Ontario and on the White River in the Arkansas Ozarks, as a bartender, a foundry man, and an entrepreneur. He lived with his family in Ireland for a year where he researched the IRA, and he currently teaches courses in Creativity to undergraduate students at Duke University. His first book, Welcome to the Creative Populist Revolution, was written to help us all grow our creative capacity and develop our entrepreneurial instincts. He graduated from Knox College and lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Marie where they have raised three daughters.

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 53rd parallel of north latitude runs through both Ireland and Ontario. This connection is the basis for the title given to Carl Nordgren’s 2014 novel.

One of the characters, a young Irish woman whose father was killed by British soldiers in front of her, and who works with the IRA, drew a further comparison between her Irish ancestors and the Ojibwa tribe in Ontario, as both groups have been oppressed by the British. She described her people as “Celtic Indians”.

Nordgren has created a dynamic and linear progression between two interconnecting storylines: one in and around a family in Ireland and a second in a remote northern fishing village in Ontario. One of the central protagonists, a tragic hero Irish widower and father of young children, has a dream of one day living in a fishing lodge in “the New World”. In Ireland he is a fishing guide and lives in harmony with a river in western Ireland. Likewise, a family of Ojibwa have a legend that a white man would someday come to help the river around which they live.

In 1951 John Ford, John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Victor McLaglen and a film crew descended on Ireland to create the film The Quiet Man, one of my favorite movies. Nordgren uses this carnival like atmosphere as a framing device to introduce the two storylines.

The author also uses magical realism elements wtih a Native American Ojibwa spirit guide who follows the characters. The spirit, This Man, also introduces historic foundations and background story to further develop the theme of families living close to the land opposing British / modernistic domination and deceit.

Carl Nordgren in The 53rd Parallel has crafted a complicated and multifaceted tale of intrigue with operatic themes. An interesting, entertaining story with well rounded and developed characterization.

[Mark Bowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The 53rd Parallel, author Carl Nordgren weaves a tapestry of brilliantly compelling characters into an overall story arc that spans through peaceful and turbulent times, across continents, though Ireland, the IRA, and an Ojibway Indian village in Canada. The style, syntax, and grand imagery of Nordgren's writing combine a uniquely lyrical and poetic approach with such descriptive precision and detailed color throughout that it feel as though its an epic movie playing on a big silver screen in the readers head. This is a break-out novel and one of the best pieces of historical fiction I've read in a long time. I am eager to continue the journey Nordgren started in parallel 53 into the next book of the series.

[Eamon Howley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Nordgren obviously spent a lot of time in Connemara during his sojourn in Ireland. He has captured the rugged beauty of the Maamturk Mountains and the splendor of the Lough Corrib and Lough Mask regions of Galway and Mayo so well in the 53rd Parallel. Much of the book's action is based around the beautiful lakes and villages of Galway where I have lived all of my life and Nordgren has reminded me of how lucky I am to live here. Fans of the "Quite Man" movie from all over the world who read this book will delight at being brought back to the village of Cong with its great pubs and local people who will always make you feel welcome and sing at the drop of a hat.

I have never been to Canada but after reading the 53rd Parallel and discovering the beauty of the lakes in Northwest Ontario and the great history of the Ojibway people I feel drawn to the place and have now placed it high on my Bucket List. I really enjoyed this story and it's great characters and I look forward to the follow up.

[Elizabeth Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly believe this is a novel worth savoring, both for the beautiful literary style and for the compelling story Carl weaves throughout. Taking us on a journey that begins just before the end of WWII in Ireland and ends in post-war Canada, The 53rd Parallel introduces us to a world of wonderfully flawed characters who are each seeking to begin anew, to clear away the ghosts who haunt their past. Weaving together the nationalism of the Celts and the autonomy of the Ojibway, Carl creates a parallel between the two worlds and brings together a compelling cast of characters. Bravo, Carl, on a stunning debut.

[Cobwebs-in-Space-Ice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most lyrical and poetically imagined novel, which flows with the lilting tongue found in an Irish storyteller beside the hearth-fire, and the boundless appreciation of Nature and the wilds possessed for millennia by indigenous tribes, THE 53RD PARALLEL reaches back into the 17th century in the area later to become Ontario, Canada, then forward to.Ireland, from approaching World War Ii to.the mid-1950's. Hopes, dreams, grinding poverty, hopelessness, despair and patriotism and rebellion all mix into this melting pot in this first novel of series to be savored, not rushed.

[Tim F · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to listen to Carl Nordgren lecture a few years back at Duke University. He's certainly a talented storyteller and I really enjoyed the 53rd Parallel! The novel follows Brian Burke and his partner Maureen O Toole, as they emigrate from 1950s West Ireland to the wilderness of Northwest Ontario. His colorful narrative transported me back to me the furtive landscapes of west Ireland and Canada. I became immersed in his world and he took me on an amazing journey. Very engrossing plot and great character development! Looking forward to following the River of Lakes series!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5

What do the Ojibway of Ontario, Canada and Irish IRA militants have in common?  For one thing, they both reside along the 53rd parallel latitude.  But Author Carl Nordgren brings them together in other ways in his River of Lakes series, book one: The 53rd Parallel.

In this book, Brian Burke has to leave his Irish village.  His partner, Maureen O'Toole, is running from her past with the IRA and an experience she's had in Germany.  They flee to Ontario, where a Ojibway clan, guided by Joe Loon, keeps a watchful eye on them.  Both parties look to maintain a simple way of life and to ward off the modern world, and Joe Loon and the Ojibway sense that Brian and Maureen are connected to the water and were brought to help protect the river.

I was hooked with the opening lines:

With so much light absorbed in the full rolling clouds of fog floating over the River’s lake and shrouding the fir and birch forests it seemed like dusk all day. At the far end of the lake, where the current collected its force to return to the River’s channel, some of the clouds were smoke.

Nordgren's writing is smooth and poetic.   At times, this actually becomes a distraction as content makes way for style.  The patient, lyrical prose was perfect for the scenes with the Ojibway, reflecting the way in which they lived within the world.  But that same smooth-flowing prose fails to capture the passion and energy of a life in the IRA.  This is not a call for a novel full of action, but I never connected with Maureen or Brian, and I think it's because I never really understood why they were headed to Ontario.  Despite the depth of their background we get on these two, they never feel like real people, not in the sense that Joe Loon and Matthew Loon felt like real people.

There's a great deal of set-up within this novel.  We follow two very different sets of lives (Ojibway and Irish) that intersect, and it's this set-up that takes up a greater part of the book.  Getting to know the people and the customs, and finally how they relate to one another.  But by this time, the book comes to its end.

This is the first in the series, and because I enjoyed the poetic-prose style and now I know the people, I am hoping that we'll get more story in the next book(s).

Looking for a good book?  Lyrical and touching, The 53rd Parallel brings together two very different cultures, both looking to preserve a sacred way of life.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only got to read about half of this book before I ran out of time, but I was enjoying it. The style provided a clear setting and feel for the characters’ inner emotions. What I think drew my interest to this book was the fishing, and, though I didn’t see the whole picture, a story of the fight for natural resource conservation. I study fish, despite not being a fisherman myself. Given that the author has been a fishing guide, I figured there would be some good inside views on that, and there are.

The story goes back and forth between Ireland and Canada, and the two meet up. Brian is the Irish fishing guide who has a dream of leading his own guide services in northern Canada. He has a painful struggle with alcoholism, but meets Maureen, who offers to help him realize his dream. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, we read about an Ojibway tribe, their way of life, and the positive and negative interactions they have had with foreigners in their home land.

At first I was reluctant to read about a character involved with IRA, but thought it would be good to become better informed about that group. And though I haven’t been there yet, I feel some form of nostalgia for Ireland, maybe through ancestry? The Canadian setting is more familiar to me, as I imagine it to be much like northern New England. I didn’t finish this one, but I can say that it is a vivid style with very realistic people trying to overcome their conflicts, both internal and communal.

* * *

Thanks to the kind folks at Light Messages Publishing, I was able to finish reading this book. At times I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep reading; it was not always easy to get through. There are all types of tension that come up, between characters and the larger picture they all fit into as well. However, I found the plot to be very compelling, and wanted to find out what would happen. To say this is an ambitious novel is accurate. It is different, to me, because of its sprawling complexity. There are many characters, and while we get to know a few pretty well, others are either hard to keep track of or more vague. Also it is not always clear who is talking, or who is being addressed. However, this large cast of characters makes the story much more realistic, and this is historical fiction based on years of research.

It is all action, and goes back and forth between scenes as they are happening, with the visual clarity of a movie. There is no outright background on the setting or the people and their cultures, only what is revealed through the characters and their moments in time. That is another stylistic goal, achieved well, I think. Much is said with few words, but the words add up, making it a sort of dense book that feels longer than it actually is. Some of the dialogue seemed a little stiff, too, but it is set in the 1930’s-50’s, and people talked differently back then, I presume. Half of the characters are Irish, too, so that adds another dialect. So, despite some of the stylistic flaws (at least, not so much to my liking), this is a very interesting story tied together in a unique way, and I look forward to reading more in this series!

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Brian Burke’s unacceptable behaviour causes him to be drummed out of his village in 1950s Ireland, he sets off for Northern Ontario with his partner Maureen O’Toole, who wants to escape from her IRA past. In Canada they meet members of the Ojibway clan, who believes that Brian and Maureen are the river’s guardians, sent to protect this small corner of the world which is increasingly being threatened by the depredations of modernity and industry. The partners build The Great Lodge of Innish Cove, which they rent out to tourists who come to enjoy the abundant wildlife and beautiful scenery. But this idyllic place remains under threat, and as the past starts to catch up with Maureen, the danger increases and the future looks bleak.
This is an odd sort of book, combining as it does the gritty realism of the IRA with the spiritual and dream world of the Ojibway. For me the two elements just didn’t mesh, and I found it hard to reconcile them. The relationship between Brian and Maureen didn’t convince me either, as it seems to come out of nowhere. The descriptions of the Ojibway felt reasonably authentic, and I don’t know enough about their way of life to know just how authentic they are, but even so their support of the couple and the tourist lodge still seemed a little unconvincing. The writing is poetic and lyrical at times, the sense of place vivid, and overall this is an unusual and original novel, but unfortunately one that I couldn’t really get into.
It’s the first book in a series called The River of Lakes and in spite of my reservations I will be interested in seeing how the story develops.

[Ruthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book that is meant to be read slowly and carefully. The descriptive writing is exceptional, almost poetic. The story alternates between Ireland - with an IRA storyline as well as a broken family tale, and Northern Ontario - with an Ojibway subplot - and stunning scenery is definitely a focal point. At the beginning I had a hard time relating to the characters and their motivation, but soon found myself swept up in the narrative. The author spent a great deal of time in both settings, and learned about the Ojibway backstory from a close friend. The spiritual nature of the First Nations story was my favorite aspect of the novel, but I also found the IRA storyline very intriguing as it was told from a different perspective than I am used to seeing in fiction. The family story line was tough, but well done and rewarding. The author avoids stereotypes and tropes and presents a gripping story within gorgeous settings. This novel is part one of three and I look forward to continuing the series!!

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽]

Kindle freebie 11/4/15.

[Caitlin Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 53rd parallel, I feel the reverence that author Carl Nordgren has for aboriginal people and the deep appreciation of the stunning and unspoiled landscape they inhabited in Canada before the White Man began to destroy the land and the aboriginal way of life. Nordgren’s affinity for his subject is most evident with the character and formal language used when describing ‘This Man’, a 17th century Annishinabe hunter and warrior who silently watches the activities of his people, sometimes from a distance, sometimes inside the present scene, witnessing the pivotal moments in their journey towards a profoundly changed way of life. Nordgren describes the almost mystical beliefs and lack of guile that embody the Objiway in the early 1950s, just prior to their betrayal by the White Man.

He also shows us the hot-headed and determined personality of the Irish (and expresses it authentically in the dialogue that is spelled as it sounds) and in the character of Brian Burke, one of the main characters in the novel. I was grateful for the description of characters at the front of the book, as Nordgren’s plot goes back and forth between Dublin, Ireland and Northern Ontario and includes a number of significant personalities and conflicts (Irish Republican Army vs the Brits), so I referred to the guide several times during the read. The two worlds intersect as Burke comes to Northern Ontario to fulfill his dream to open a high-end fishing resort; at the same time the Ojibway believe that Irishman Burke could be the White Man of their dreams who will save their River. We see the aboriginal children torn from their homes in the early hours of the morning and tragedies of the Residential Schools; I was glad to feel sympathy for the young Matthew Loon, an almost shamanistic young character who through his suffering and sacrifice, created a space for salvation of the river.

53rd Parallel was front of mind alongside my recent reading of Canadian aboriginal writer Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse and the creative project BODY OF LIGHT I am working on in Sechelt. With BODY OF LIGHT, I met Terri Aleck, the first native in Canada who with his legal challenge in the courts was the first Canadian to open up the scandals of the Residential Schools into the public awareness. He is now working with the Sechelt Nation (the community of aboriginals on whose land we live on the Sunshine Coast) to help them heal from this systemic cultural genocide. BODY OF LIGHT is part of the Sechelt Arts Festival; last weekend the festival opened a collaborative art project featuring native artists as part of a team of collaborators; we all rejoiced in the beautiful work produced, celebrating all.

53RD Parallel is a worthy piece of historical fiction, an interesting exploration of this pivotal time during the fifties, and the karma of that history.

[Darcie Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find myself drawn to books that are based on history but I'm more intrigued with the environmental factor in this novel and connecting Native North Americans with Irish rebels running from their past.

Author Carl Nordgren writes with beautiful poetic flair that his descriptions pulled me into taking an intriguing journey with him to WWII in Ireland and ending in post-war Canada.

In The 53rd Parallel The 53rd Parallel, main characters Brian Burke emigrates from 1950s West Ireland to the wilderness of Northwest Ontario with his partner Maureen O'Toole. He's been exiled from his village, and she is running from her IRA past. The dreams of an Ojibway clan elder bring the Irish to the sacred place on the River, where they build The Great Lodge of Innish Cove. The dreams tell of a white man who will destroy the River and another who will protect it. While the Ojibway believe Brian and Maureen are the River's guardians, Maureen's IRA connections and the construction of a pulp mill upstream threaten to destroy the newly created Eden before it even begins.

For me, I enjoyed both the native culture and the underlying IRA storylines. The plot pulled me in because of the plausibility and the characters that I've come to love. The environmental factors and the protection of the waterways was described with beautiful conviction, making me think the writer's passion is fueled by real life environmental concerns. I love the way Nordgren writes !

Carl Nordgren is a talented first time novelist that I look forward to reading more books in this series.

[Hans vandeVen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had some great expectations for this book, but was very disappointed reading it. The story-telling is so fragmented, not more than a collection of scenes and ideas put one after the other, and the characters don´t have any depth at all. They look like puppets on a string; and no-one is pulling the strings. And some parts and scenes are absolutely obsolete. Maybe they get a meaning when you continue reading the sequel, but I won´t.

[Diana Sandberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only made it about halfway through this book. I appreciate the writing, but I have to say that the looming construction of the pulp mill in the setting near Grassy Narrows, whose dreadful woes extend to the present day, and the (rightly) unblinking depiction of the residential school, are making my heart too heavy to go on. Knowing the evil reality, I find all the talk of "saving" the River heartbreaking. I just....can't.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning as WWII is in its early stages, Brian is an Irish man, big and strong, whose temper is a huge problem for himself. Maureen is the daughter of a slain IRA agent who sets out to avenge her father's death. They connect when both need to get away, and follow Brian's dream to northern Ontario in Canada to begin a fishing lodge. The Ojibway live there, but Brian intends to work with them, and Joe Loon, a tribal leader, is guided to work with Brian. That may be revealing more than you wish, but when the author adds elements of family, environmental disregard, capitalism, and politics, this becomes a very plot-driven story. Brian is the only character of depth, but others support him in appropriate ways. Flaws and all, it becomes easy to root for Brian and the aboriginals. There is mild violence and more than a bit of Irish-accented cursing, but they fit well as necessary to the story., which succeeds in its accuracy, particularly its depictions of Ojibway life and thought. Perhaps my favorite part was the natives' spirit called This Man. I will read book two, and think others will enjoy this one.

[Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful tale

I’m not Irish, but I’ve visited Ireland and have some very close Irish friends. The “atmosphere” of the story is consistent with what I know and paints a picture of the image I have of Ireland and of the American Irish. I enjoyed it and will continue in the series.
Thanks for providing me with a path to travel.

[Kathryn Baverstock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I resurrected my Kobo and found this book on it. It is set between Ireland and Northern Ontario. I enjoyed reading about a part of the world I've seen (Ontario) and following the story of Brian, Maureen, the Loon family and others. I've just discovered that this is the first in a series of three so will now look for the other two books to see what happens to Maureen and Brian et al.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the writing in this book. Then I saw that there was a second book in a series. Can't wait to read that one. I really got invested with the characters. Recommended.

[David J Steiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great detail about a mix of cultures - thoroughly entertaining.

[Stephanie Bates · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a good mix of fictional storytelling and history. Nordgren also did a great job balancing 2 very different "worlds" and intertwining the storylines.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book to all readers who love to read.

'Who are you?' is just something that we Mississippians ask upon meeting a stranger. We are not asking for the stranger's name. We are asking where he is from, who his relatives are and where they live. We are asking where the stranger works, goes to church, and whether or not he likes the pastor. This book reminded me of the 'who are you ' question, and no wonder--the author and I are both from Mississippi. My state turns out so many gifted authors, and this author is no exception. His writing mechanics were excellent, save a few errors. There were several storylines going on at the same time and included the IRA, immigration, pollution of Toronto's pristine lakes and rivers, and unscrupulous entrepreneurs trying to make a quick dollar. The relationships between the Natives and the Irish showed that the native and the newcomer could get along right well. With so many diverse characters the author could have made my head swim, but he did not. Could it be because we understand the same language?

Thank you, Mr. Nordgren, for a Good Read!

[Glenda Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 53rd Parallel (River of Lakes Book 1)

Very compelling novel, I enjoyed that someone else knew that a peaceful, beautiful and spiritual land can heal mind, body and soul. The history of the Ojibway people plight to keep their land and waters pure so they could continue their way of life. It just illuminates the spirit of greed that was also present in the USA. They are always taking what is not theirs and always deceitful. Brian and Maureen had big heart's and both came from adverse lives back in Ireland, which was conquered by the same oppressors. I love how Brian seemed forgiveness of his children for the wrong he committed upon them coming from his poor treatment of his wife and the gilt he felt when she died and he wasn't there for her. Maureen fought her demons from the lost of her father and turned to old testament law of eye for an eye, yet profess to have the love of Jesus Christ in her heart, but couldn't abide in the new testament law of turning the other cheek. Most of us can see ourselves in one of these characters. Joe Loon led both towards healing.

[Rissi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The settings, Catholic Ireland from about 1939 to 1950, and Ontario Province, Objiway territory, Canada are defined and described quite well. The main characters, Brian Burke and Maureen O'Toole, are interesting, but not fully developed, nor are the 2nd tier characters, Eamon and Kevin. We are not given enough backgroun for their motivations, hopes and dreams. The Objiway were a little better developed. This could be a stellar novel with stronger character development.
So, 3 stars, not 4.

[GailW · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first found this book, I was a bit leery of the mix of Native Canadian Indian and Irish IRA. I need not have been. It is a lovely story, a bit sad, but the plight of Native Indians and the Irish story were increasingly so after WWII. This book works the good part of the story, with the sadder parts skillfully interwoven.

[Shon Rand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Man is a strange element in the story, which spans Ireland and Canada, and yet This Man helps make the story a bit more than your average bestseller, for he is not a typical ingredient in the formula of such novels. Nordgren weaves an interesting tale, sometimes very suspenseful. The ending seeks a bit too clean and quick, but otherwise I liked The 53rd Parallel a lot.

[Lindasp · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to imagine a plot line that combines an Ojibway tribe in Northern Ontario, a fishing lodge with Ireland and the IRA, but Carl Nordgren did it. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Ojibway ways of life, beliefs and ceremonies along with the wonderful characters. The IRA ties added another dimension/problem to the storyline which was very interesting too.

[Kellie Dipiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was simply a beautiful book. The descriptive, vivid language brought so much depth to the story. This author was so respectful to the story of the people represented. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. Trust me, this book deserve the 5 stars!

[Carlton Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed look at the "Troubles", in Ireland and how a couple try and make a clean break by opening a fishing lodge in Washington state.
They befriend the Ojibways on the lake and surrounding area.
A great read but be prepared to read several stories that come together at the end.

[Mary-jane Farrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic story. Very engaging. The writing is evocative, the characters are realistic, and the description of the setting is haunting.