By Fayth Simmons
In Up The Coast, author Kathryn Willcock takes a deep dive into the complex and illustrious chapters of her childhood, spent in logging camps off of the rural BC coast. With emotive prose and clear narration, Willcock describes a rugged and wild existence, and highlights the trials and tribulations of everyday life in Orford Bay and beyond. Set within a land of unparalleled natural beauty, the logging camps provided a home base for Willcock’s family and all of the loggers. Such beauty, however, came at the cost of isolation and sometimes danger—with grizzlies as close neighbours, almost consistent financial strain, and challenging weather patterns, there was no shortage of challenges to the logging lifestyle, and many obstacles stood in the way of company success. Through Willcock’s gaze, however, and her remembrance of childhood, the reader is able to see through the challenges of such a life to the equal doses of joy and freedom that it provided.
The novel presents as being almost autobiographical in nature, with Willcock providing historically accurate depictions of life in Orford Bay, and her family’s journey to arrive there. The narration allows the reader to be carried smoothly through the novel, and at just over 200 pages, it is a fairly fast read and accessible to a wide variety of readers. Witty observations are accompanied by doses of harsh realism, though the overriding tone is one of warmth and authenticity. Willcock successfully condenses vivid landscapes into her writing, and each character holds equivalent depths of layered emotion. At its core, this is a novel about family, and the resilience required to etch out an alternative life amidst the sometimes unforgiving elements of the BC wilderness. Willcock’s capacity for storytelling shines through, and her thoughtful approach has resulted in a novel that is both eye-opening and enjoyable.
Thank you to NeWest Press for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.