The Horseman's Graves
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Jacqueline Baker’s highly acclaimed short story collection,
A Hard Witching and Other Stories,
marked the debut of an extraordinary literary talent. Proclaimed by reviewers to
be “a rural J.D. Salinger,” Baker received the prestigious Danuta Gleed Award
and her collection was listed among Maclean’s Top 10 Books of the Year.
The Horseman’s Graves returns us to the harsh locale of Sand
Hills on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border, where Baker unfolds a tale of a small
German immigrant community caught between the promise of this new land and the
weight of a European past, with its hatred, fear and old-country superstitions.
Lathias is a half-breed farmhand, a young loner who becomes the unofficial
guardian to the Schoff boy, a golden child until a terrible farm accident scars
his face and his mind. Both boys are drawn to Elisabeth, a savagely beautiful
girl, whose stepfather, Leo, is the local scapegrace, a man whose cruelty is
both a source of amusement and shame to the townspeople. When Elisabeth, watched
only by the Schoff boy, falls through the ice into the river, no one foresees
how it will be the end—and the beginning—of everything.
A novel so lyrical and hypnotic that it begs to be read aloud,
The Horseman’s Graves
is a pitch-perfect rendering of small-town
immigrant life. Told through the unforgettable narrative voice of a seeall
neighbour, it is filled with memorable characters: a blustering, pious priest; a
mysterious “witch” faith healer; the town busybody; a fearful young farm wife
who is virtually worked to death. An extraordinarily accomplished work, The
Horseman’s Graves is a profound testament to our universal search for love
and redemption.
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Author Extras
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Critical Praise for
The Horseman's Graves
"Authentic and, more important, well-written, it speaks volumes in its spareness. . . . In The Horseman's Graves, the landscape and its people live vibrantly and memorably."
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The Globe and Mail
"Though the people, incidents and storyline are convincingly executed, it is Baker's poetic rendition of the prairie landscape that will resonate with readers."
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Winnipeg Free Press
"Baker has succeeded admirably in her novel The Horseman's Graves, an eerie conjuring of life in a small town where rancour and vengefulness seethe below the surface of the everyday. . . . Baker's greatest strength is her dialogue, in which we can both see and hear her characters in all of their individuality. . . . A powerful exploration of the deep undercurrents in a rural community. "
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Edmonton Journal
"Completely compelling . . . The result is a novel that is as haunting as the pasts of its characters."
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Quill & Quire
"A superb novel . .. one of the most impressive Canadian debut novels in a long time. . . . The Horseman's Graves, for once, deserves all the superlatives that have come its way. If it doesn't win the Giller Prize or the Governor General's Award -- or both -- there's no justice in the world."
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The National Post
Reader Reviews from First Look
How can a writer get into the minds and souls of so many people? Jacqueline Baker has done it. She has captured the essence of each character so that we can see, hear and feel what each person is going through.
I had to read and then sit for a few moments, just soaking in the atmosphere created by the wonderful author. A book that makes me think and feel is the best kind of book there is.
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Jacqueline (St. Philip's, NF)
How can a writer get into the minds and souls of so many people? Jacqueline Baker has done it. She has captured the essence of each character so that we can see, hear and feel what each person is going through.
I had to read and then sit for a few moments, just soaking in the atmosphere created by the wonderful author. A book that makes me think and feel is the best kind of book there is.
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Jacqueline (St. Philip's, NF)
Jacqueline Baker has the ability to capture the essence of storytelling as if she was a participant of the events. There is an "old-country" style to her storytelling. She kept the story real with little stories within, so real it was hard to believe it was a work of fiction. It is a hard era but the narrator's voice flows so well it was almost impossible to put the book down. I highly recommend this book.
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Brenda (Black Diamond, AB)
This is one of the best books I have read in awhile. I have never read a story such as this before and will surely look for more from Jacqueline Baker.
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Marijo (St Williams, ON)
I was transfixed with the mood of this story, elevated to another universe in which humans are bound by mores that are unspeakable. Emotions such as guilt, pride, fear, shame and confusion seem to dictate the plot. The writing was fluid and the story unfolded as I imagine it would if it had been shared orally as a tale from long ago.
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Peggy (Calgary, AB)
The story is heartbreaking, the characters are interesting and complex, the sense of place is terrific, and the writing is absolutely beautiful. I loved this book. Highly recommended.
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Lynn (Clinton, ON)
This is the kind of book that you can read again and again and still find something new.
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Pat (Guelph, ON)
Incredibly engrossing. Baker has a very strong voice and spins a remarkable story that remains, almost hauntingly, with me.
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Elizabeth (Toronto, ON)
This book took me to a different time and place of Alberta/Saskatchewan border, but at the same time I felt like I was right there watching the story unfold. Jacqueline did an outstanding job in giving each character a true and vivid life. As I read this book I discovered how each person was created and why they were needed to make this book one of the best I have ever read. I could not put the book down. I read this book in less than 4 days. Each time I put the book down it was like an old friend calling to me to finish telling me what was going to happen next. The book was very dear to me in many ways. I would recommend this book to anyone. I already can’t stop talking about it. I can’t wait to read more from Mrs. Baker.
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Cinzia (Sherwood Park, AB)
A powerful literary story bursting with phenomenal characters that you wish, and yet dread, would move to your backyard the reader is powerless to avoid their spellbinding draw.
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Marcie (Springfield, ON)
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A Hard Witching
Sand Hills, Saskatchewan, is a region of the prairies that is unique, an expanse of shifting sand dunes interrupted by patches of green vegetation, small lakes, and saline flats. Foreign yet familiar, Sand Hills is the extraordinarily vivid place threaded through Jacqueline Baker’s highly...
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