The Survival Game

Among many special and surprising qualities, what works particularly well in this novel is the linking of the physical and psychological worlds so that we have the 14-year-old Burl Crow, running off into the remote Canadian interior, to survive the bullying brutality of his father and the harsh natural world and trying to steer his way physically and morally. Burl has learnt to hide himself within himself and it is a natural step for him to run away, braving the elements, until, in the midst of this wilderness, he comes across the hideaway of an eccentric pianist and composer, complete with grand piano if little else to resist the winter. The book cleverly shows the similarities as well as the huge differences between the two escapees and this is the beginning for Burl in discovering the kindness of strangers, seemingly casual at first and then later, in his ex-school teacher, a more determined and transforming act. This is not a cosy read, there is a lurking violence in nature and in the people, including Burl himself. The book is tangibly physical in its realisation of the beauty and rawness of the outside world and subtle in its creation of Burl’s internal struggles. There’s a great deal of journeying for Burl to do, with some very thoughtful questions about what is valuable and what ultimately matters, and a marvellously tense closing section where Burl is again confronted by his father and he finally discovers the riches within himself. It’s a remarkable book.