Special edition of a cult classic
The Lesser Blessed’s raw power stands the test of time at 20 years
Richard Van Camp keeps solid company. His 1996 cult classic, The Lesser Blessed, sits on CBC’s shelf of 100 Novels That Make You Proud to be Canadian. All the big hitters are there with him — Shields, Atwood, Findley, Richler, Ondaatje, Coupland. The 20th-anniversary special edition of The Lesser Blessed turns the spotlight back on his fictional northern community of Fort Simmer with coveted bonus features.
Van Camp’s new introduction to his first novel offers a casual coffee shop conversation and reflection on the genesis of his main character, Larry Sole. The Dogrib teen coincidentally has a penchant for collecting stories too — and tries to piece together his own after a violent accident shakes his emotional landscape.
Two short stories follow, offering readers a quick antidote to endof-book melancholy. How I Saved Christmas and Where Are You To- night? were previously published in Van Camp’s short story collections, Night Moves and Angel Wing Splash Pattern. Larry Sole is back, but this doesn’t satisfy the want for more and a longer visit to Fort Simmer.
As a member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Van Camp has published 20 books in 20 years. The Lesser Blessed (the first novel by a Tlicho Dene) was optioned to film and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012.
In 2008, his children’s book Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, was the official selection of the Books for B.C. Babies program and was given to every newborn in B.C. that year. He wrote for CBC’s North of 60 and has published graphic novels and two comic books. And, he still found time to teach creative writing at UBC and the Emily Carr Institute.
But back to Larry Sole. It’s easy to find footing in his wounded, angst- clogged world. The tug of war between struggle and hope for the second generation of residential school survivors is the foundation of Fort Simmer. The cycle of sloppy divorces, gas sniffing, unemployment and booze weighs the pages and Larry’s heart: “The whole damn world was turning up the volume.”
Van Camp writes with precision, both blunt and sharp. Larry’s numb and happy nights will be familiar footing for many. As Larry suggests of his hometown, there’s “not much to do if you’re not into booze or sports. I mostly read and listened for stories.” He alludes to “the accident” but diverts, offering searing flashback scenes that hint at an unfathomable horror and survival.
The frozen setting and characters are beautiful and flawed, envisaging the North instantly with Ski-Doos and Polaris caps. There are hippie beads in the door frames, a black velvet Elvis and a waterbed.
Of his throbbing love interest, Larry says, “If you ever heard High School Confidential by Rough Trade, it was written for Juliet Hope.”
Of his half-breed best friend from Hay River, “If I could per- form an autopsy on him, I’d steal his eyes.”
And then there’s Jazz. “The only thing I can compare Jazz to is a jackal. He had a skinny little ass and no body fat. When he took his shirt off in gym class, it looked like he’d been pulled inside out.”
The Lesser Blessed is a treasured time capsule, but one still relevant and familiar today. It’s rough, raw and real. It’s about finding ground and losing ground, reaching for a lost language and finding a new one that sometimes only love and ravens understand.