RAGGED COMPANY by Richard Wagamese
BOOK CLUB CHOICE, November 2020
Reviewed by: Mhairi Godley
How do four very different people end up homeless, and become friends not only with each other, but also with a ‘Straight John’ disillusioned journalist (whom they nickname “Granite”) who is struggling to come to terms with his own issues? Wagamese tells their stories, piece by piece, through their own narrative ‘voices’, each one completely different. His writing is grammatically perfect, with beautiful metaphors; and his prose is pure poetry. You know these characters so well by the end of the book!
Seeking respite from an Arctic cold front in Toronto, the four friends decide to shelter in a cinema. Movies become an integral part of their lives, for various reasons, so even when the weather ameliorates, they continue watching movies. It is at the cinema that they meet Granite, who becomes a trusted friend. When they find a lottery ticket, they are amazed that it is worth millions of dollars. However, without ID or an address, they cannot claim the money. To find out how they manage, and how having such riches changes their lives, you must read the book!
Richard Wagamese is an amazing Canadian writer. Born into a dysfunctional indigenous family, which had been devastated by the effects of Residential schools, he was abandoned along with three siblings, before his third birthday. He was sent to various foster homes before his adoption by white Presbyterians who were not in the least sympathetic to his indigenous heritage. He left that home at 16 and lived on the streets.
School for Richard ended at grade 9, but he discovered libraries, and aided by his own prodigious brain and perseverance, and with encouragement from a sympathetic librarian, his education continued.
At 23 he was finally reunited with his parents and indigenous heritage, was proclaimed a story teller, and given the honorary story-teller name of Mushkotay Beezheekee Anakwat or Buffalo Cloud.
I could go on at length, but you get the idea. Wonderful story, extraordinarily gifted writer; must read!
To learn more about Richard Wagamese’s history, click on the play button to see Richard Wagamese give his 2015 Matt Cohen Award speech:
Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington 