Journal Entry 1 by gypsysmom from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Sunday, December 20, 2009

This is one of the books chosen for the Canada Reads 2010 contest. My work book club decided to read this in January 2010. 

Journal Entry 2 by gypsysmom from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Friday, January 08, 2010

Maybe this book will grow on me. It may just be quirky enough to win Canada Reads but I can't say I'll put it as one of my favourites. The following comments contain spoilers so read no further if you haven't read the book.

The title refers to a small town (village or hamlet may be more appropriate) on an island in the Aleutian peninsula. It was the site of one of the Distance Early Warning (DEW) line outposts established during the Cold War. It's the place where Noah's father, Jonas Doucet, ended his travels. Jonas is also the father of the part-time narrator of the story. And Jonas is probably Joyce Doucet's uncle or cousin. Noah, Joyce and the narrator come together in Montreal in the 1990's. The narrator has always lived in Montreal but Noah was raised on the prairies with his peripatetic mother driving an old car and trailer from place to place. Joyce grew up on the island of Tete-a-la-Baleine but ran away from the island to discover what happened to her mother. She wants to be a pirate like her ancestors but she settles for working in a fish shop in Montreal to pay her rent until she gets the pirate gig going. Noah has come to attend university (never mind that he has never gone to school -- that's just an insignificant detail I guess) and he intends to study archeology. He ends up sharing rooms above the fish shop with one of the owners. The narrator is a clerk in a used book store in the same neighbourhood. Their paths cross all the time but the three never seem to discover their shared origins.

Noah is the first of the trio to leave Montreal. He goes to live with his lover, Arizna, on a small island off Venezuela and help care for their son, Simon. Abruptly he has to take Simon and leave the island when it appears Arizna's grandfather may be bringing the law down on them. He returns to Montreal with Simon after spending some time in the Newark airport. There his path crosses Joyce's who is also fleeing from the law. When he gets to Montreal one of the first places he goes is to the book store to buy dinosaur books for Simon. The narrator serves him, perhaps one of his last customers because he has decided it is time to leave Montreal. The narrator has been cleaning out his apartment and has brought to the store some of his books. One of them is the curious book that is an amalgam of three books with no cover. Noah sees the book and instantly recognizes it as the one that his father left behind and which he brought to Montreal with him. In a more predictable novel this would be the time the half brothers discover their relationship but not in Nikolski. Noah just fishes out the map that was originally part of the book and gives it to the narrator. THE END

The mysterious book is a metaphor or perhaps a guide for the three main characters. The first book portion is a study on treasure hunting which could be likened to archeologists digs and is perhaps why Noah chose archeology as his field of study. The second portion is a historical treatise on pirates of the Caribbean. That is certainly meant for Joyce who read that section in the narrator's apartment the night before she left Montreal. The final portion is from a biography of Alexander Selkirk who was shipwrecked on a Pacific island and whose exploits inspired Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe. The unnamed narrator could be likened to Alexander perhaps since he has been stuck in one spot with very little human interaction.

There is a recurring theme of garbage in Nicolas. In the prologue the narrator is cleaning out his mother's bungalow and has thrown out 30 garbage bags. Joyce goes dumpster diving to find computers and computer parts to patch together a working computer so that she can commit her twentieth century piracy. Noah's thesis advisor is an acknowledged expert on the archeology of garbage and Noah himself would like to do his thesis in this field. What gets thrown out by people is sometimes all we have to go on to figure out how they lived. There is also the saying "One person's junk is another person's treasure." Probably most people would have looked at the Book with No Name and called it junk but for Noah, Joyce and the narrator it was a treasure map. 

Journal Entry 3 by gypsysmom from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Sunday, January 17, 2010

My book club met this week to discuss this book. Everyone else felt disappointed that the three characters didn't discover their connection and go off together. One person said it wasn't as bad as some of the books we have read! Not a whole-hearted endorsement.

It will be interesting to see how this does in Canada Reads in March.

I will reserve this book for the 2010 Canada Day challenge.. 

Journal Entry 4 by gypsysmom at Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Saturday, February 06, 2010

Released 2 yrs ago (2/6/2010 UTC) at Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Am going to have a visit with mrsgaskell and she expressed an interest in this book so off it goes. Hope you enjoy it. This release is for the 2010 Never Judge a Book by its Cover release challenge - Week 5 (green) for the green on two of the three fish on the cover. 

Journal Entry 5 by mrsgaskell from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Sunday, February 07, 2010

I made release notes on several books yesterday, but somehow I forgot to journal this book - sorry about the oversight! I enjoyed your visit as usual gypsysmom - and MrG and I just had another piece of your delicious gingerbread with our afternoon tea. Thanks!

I haven't read your full journal entry above because of the spoiler warning but am looking forward to reading this book. 

Journal Entry 6 by mrsgaskell at Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Thursday, June 03, 2010

This was definitely a strange book and I think I just didn’t “get it”. Three young people, all related but unaware of it, migrate to Montreal where they lead disconnected, somewhat unfocused and aimless lives. Fish and garbage figure prominently, too. Although their paths cross at times, Joyce, Noah, and the unnamed narrator never become aware of their connections. I’m afraid this book seemed pointless to me and I never felt any connection with the characters. However, it was still quite “readable” and I really didn't hate it. But I can’t believe it beat out Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott in the 2010 Canada Reads competition. Different strokes…..

Thanks gypsysmom for sharing this. I am glad to have read the Canada Reads winner and I enjoyed reading your comments on it. I laughed when I read the comment by one of your book club members that it wasn't as bad as some of the books you'd read. That's probably what I would have said too.
 

Journal Entry 7 by mrsgaskell at -- Bus Stop (see notes for details) -- in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Monday, July 05, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (7/5/2010 UTC) at -- Bus Stop (see notes for details) -- in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

This book by a Canadian author was released for gypsysmom's 2010 Canada Day Release Challenge (June 25 - July 4). This challenge runs annually to promote Canadian literature.

I left the book in the bus shelter on St. Anne's Road just north of Niakwa Road.

Welcome to Bookcrossing! I hope you'll enjoy this book and explore the Bookcrossing site. It's loads of fun, as you can track your released books in their travels, possibly all over the world! Please let us know that you've found the book, what you thought of it and if possible, where you might re-release it when you're done so it can continue its journey. You may remain anonymous, but if you choose to join up I hope you will consider using me, mrsgaskell, as the one who referred you.