The Long Exile
A True Story of Deception and Survival Amongst the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic
Published on 1. October 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-00-715797-6 (ISBN)
Description
A chilling true story of deception and survival set amidst the Inuit communities of the Canadian Arctic.
In 1922 the Irish-American explorer Robert Flaherty made a film called 'Nanook of the North' which captured the world's imagination. Soon afterwards, he quit the Arctic for good, leaving behind his bastard son, Joseph, to grow up Eskimo.
Thirty years later a young, inexperienced policeman, Ross Gibson, was asked by the Canadian government to draw up a list of Inuit who were to be resettled in the uninhabited polar Arctic and left to fend as best they could. Joseph Flaherty and his family were on that list. They were told they were going to an Arctic Eden of spring flowers and polar bears. But it didn't turn out that way, and this, Joseph Flaherty's story, tells how it did.
In 1922 the Irish-American explorer Robert Flaherty made a film called 'Nanook of the North' which captured the world's imagination. Soon afterwards, he quit the Arctic for good, leaving behind his bastard son, Joseph, to grow up Eskimo.
Thirty years later a young, inexperienced policeman, Ross Gibson, was asked by the Canadian government to draw up a list of Inuit who were to be resettled in the uninhabited polar Arctic and left to fend as best they could. Joseph Flaherty and his family were on that list. They were told they were going to an Arctic Eden of spring flowers and polar bears. But it didn't turn out that way, and this, Joseph Flaherty's story, tells how it did.
Reviews / Votes
'[McGrath] offers a carefully imagined portrait of the appalling lives of the Inuit on Ellesmere Island. This is a story of official wrong-headedness and arrogance and McGrath relays it with compassion. The narrative is gripping.' Guardian'A wealth of research underpins this harrowing tale, which is at once a lawyer's deposition and love letter to the icy world above the treeline.' Observer
'Melanie McGrath's tragic tale has an icy ring of truth that wrings the heart.' The Times
'Melanie McGrath is a gifted, passionate and sensitive story-teller and through her the authentic voice of the Arctic, not the clarion call of great white explorers, rings loud and clear. She gets right under the Inuit's seal-skin parkas; her research is meticulous, her touch is light, her understanding and invisibility are the absolute opposite of the years of foreign domination. Her play with language is disarming and original. Fresh, illuminating and heartbreaking history.' Sunday Telegraph
'Poignant and humane book. McGrath, who tracked down some of the survivors as well as traveling in the territory, tells an impressively researched and often poetic story.' Observer
'McGrath also has a wonderful feel for landscape and so the Arctic itself assumes the life of a character.The language is lovely. Modulated, lyrical and beautiful as the stark nature it describes, it makes McGrath's book more than a fascinating and instructive read. It makes it a joyful one.' Evening Standard
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
222 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-715797-6 (9780007157976)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Melanie McGrath
The Long Exile
A True Story of Deception and Survival Amongst the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic
E-Book
04/2009
1st Edition
HarperPerennial
€7.79
Available for download
Person
Melanie McGrath is the author of three previous books, 'Motel Nirvana', 'Hard, Soft & Wet' and 'Silvertown'. She is a regular contributor for the Guardian, Independent and the Express. She lives in Vauxhall, London.