Boo(k) Week: Your Guide to Spooky Reads with Griffin Bjerke-Clarke

Picks by Griffin Bjerke-Clarke

The Night Wanderer by Drew Hayden Taylor (Annick Press)

Drew Hayden Taylor was a household name for me growing up. I was familiar with his plays before I had a chance to read any of his novels or his short stories. In The Night Wanderer, Hayden Taylor explores themes of mortality, trauma and gentrification. Though distinct, the wide range of themes is explored in a way that feels cohesive. This fragility of life is the thread that weaves everything together.

The horror of the novel doesn’t stem from vampires; it emerges from the relentless and merciless nature of time. Like all great horror, The Night Wanderer has its basis in reality and uses its supernatural elements to comment on material experiences. The central vampire of the novel, Pierre, is a dynamic character who is at once terrifying, wise and compassionate—though not in a conventional sense. The story he relates to the depressed and lonely Tiffany is at once a ghost story and a fable with a clear moral. Through Pierre, Drew Hayden Taylor teaches us that life is sacred: the limited days we have to enjoy the world give our lives meaning.

The Night Wanderer is a gripping and meaningful read for fans of literary fiction and horror alike.

The Power of Story by Harold R. Johnson (Biblioasis)

Harold R. Johnson, I am not afraid to admit, is my favourite author. He has been foundational to both my style and my worldview. His legacy has been essentially a style guide for much of my work. Although literary theory is often a difficult subject to make accessible—let alone interesting—Johnson here effortlessly comments on the nature and purpose of storytelling. The book records a gathering between Johnson and an eclectic audience of people of varying faiths, cultures and backgrounds. Johnson generously hosted the group at his home and spoke about his views of storytelling.

For Johnson, storytelling is present in every aspect of the diverse human experience. Stories comprise everything from laws to personal identity. In his usual minimalist style, Johnson wastes no time in showing both the unfortunate realities of the stories that makeup our world and the potential for new narratives to make a better future for all. Though dense and philosophical, The Power of Story is beautifully clear and accessible.

Johnson asserts that positive societal change is not only the domain of all; it is the duty of all. The Power of Story echoes the core of Johnson’s literary project.

Walsh by Sharon Pollock (Talonbooks)

Sitting Bull and his legacy were talked about fairly often when I was young. I was surprised to learn just how many Canadians are unaware of the chapters of his story that take place in Saskatchewan, where I am from. Sharon Pollock explores one of the most deeply tragic moments in Sitting Bull’s life in her play, Walsh.

Any good tragedy has, at its core, a happy ending that is never fully realized. In Walsh this is the relationship between Commander James Walsh and Sitting Bull. The doomed friendship is complicated by the contradiction between Walsh’s faith in his government and the realities he is sheltered from. He wants to protect Sitting Bull, but his powers are limited by the institutions he represents. Ultimately, he is a good man representing a corrupt government at a time when morality did not govern.

Pollock explores the story with respect and never hesitates to portray the full weight of the situation.

Billy Tinker by Harold R Johnson (Thistledown Press)

The first of Johnson’s works, Billy Tinker explores rural Saskatchewan with an authentic voice that is rare to see. Immediately, he sets about demonstrating his philosophy in narrative form through characters that are gritty yet vibrant. Fable is woven with reality and time is never straight path—aspects of Johnson’s writing that are established early on aspart of his unique approach to literature. Reading the first of Johnson’s six novels was an interesting experience after first being familiar with his later work.

The story follows Billy, a trucker who is both flawed and sympathetic. Johnson makes Billy’s actions often at once objectionable and understandable. Through Cree stories, Johnson explores ideas of class and knowledge and demonstrates the subtle and quotidian forms Indigenous resistance takes as Billy journeys through the Saskatchewan countryside.

Johnson sets the foundation for a magical realist style that continues to inspire and motivate me as I write.

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GRIFFIN BJERKE-CLARKE is a Métis author originally from Oskana (Regina), Saskatchewan, and living in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). From the time he was a small child, Griffin enjoyed making up stories and has always used them to navigate the world; before he could read or write, he would tell his narratives to anyone who would listen. Having grown up distant from his ancestry, Griffin aims to return to his roots, become fluent in Cree and Michif, and return to his community as an educator.

Griffin is studying English at the University of King’s College and is a registered citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation.

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Thanks to Griffin for this list of contemporary classics! A reminder that you can order any of these books through All Lit Up, or press the “Shop Local” button to discover them at your local independent bookstore.

Find more Boo(k) Week picks here.