Maclean

In this little gem of a novel, author Allan Donaldson depicts the tragedy of a human life oppressed by the residual nightmare of war, as well as the limitations of small-town life in New Brunswick in the mid-1900s. Maclean portrays the life of an alcoholic veteran of World War One, as outlined within a single day in the late summer of 1943. Protagonist John Maclean’s seemingly prosaic search to find his mother a birthday present illustrates his struggle with the obstacles created by war and poverty, themes which plague even his small town in mid-northern New Brunswick. Though the novel’s events appear ordinary, Maclean’s struggle to find work and booze is deepened by a turbulent under story of memory, nostalgia, and loss, as well as the stark impressions of empty fear and senselessness provoked by war. As Maclean clearly illustrates, nothing comes cheaply, be it a birthday present or peace on the world stage, and it is usually the rejects of society who are sacrificed to pay the price for others. Through the use of appropriately sparse, clear prose, the reader is drawn into the perspective of a man that society would usually sooner overlook. The tension and empathy of this point of view makes Maclean a challenging and ultimately fulfilling experience for the reader.