Rural Life in Saskatchewan Through Crime Fiction

Guy Vanderhaeghe

Since reading August Into Winter I have been thinking
about crime fiction set in rural Saskatchewan that explores life on the prairie in the midst of the mystery. I thought of the perspectives of three authors, Nelson Brunanski, Anthony Bidulka and Guy Vanderhaeghe. 

Each of the authors was born and grew up in a small town. Brunanski was  born in 1950 and raised in Wakaw, about 85 km from where I live, where his family had the local newspaper. Anthony Bidulka was born in 1962, about 150 km from me, and grew up on the family farm near Prudhomme. Guy Vanderhaege was born in 1951 in Esterhazy which is about 350 km southeast of my home in Melfort.

Nelson’s three small town Saskatchwan mysteries are set in Crooked Lake, which is clearly inspired by Wakaw. They take  place between 2000 and 2010. His sleuth, following a Ukrainian naming tradition, is Bart Bartkowski.

Bart lives in Crooked Lake which has a population of about 1,000 people. Bart and his wife, Rosie, have a good marriage with two children. They own a fly-in fishing camp in northern Saskatchewan. Bart spends most of the summer at the camp.

Bart is an optimist. He looks forward to the future. He enjoys his work. The camp is a successful business. He appreciates his family. His daughter marries in Frost Bite. He laments that her wedding supper will not have the traditional trio of Ukrainian wedding suppers (sausage, perogies and cabbage rolls). Rosie and Bart participate in community activities. Rosie put together a float for the parade commemorating the 100th anniversary of the town. He supports and enjoys the local golf course. 

Not all is sunshine in Bart’s life. He is diagnosed with prostate cancer. In the third book, Burnt Out, his fly-in fishing camp is burned and they have no insurance as he thought the premiums were too high.

He is an average guy with a strong curiosity leading him

Nelson Brunanskito investigate murders. 

Bart, Rosie, their children and friends are the people I know well around me. They work hard. They share joys and sorrows.

Anthony has written about Saskatchewan in his first series, the Russell Quant books. Over 8 books set in Saskatoon and other parts of the world Russell, a gay man and private detective, solves mysteries. Occasionally he makes a brief trip to the farm where he was raised.

I continue to consider his book, Going to Beautiful, to be his masterpiece and it vividly evokes life in rural Saskatchewan. After opening in Toronto the story moves to Beautiful, Saskatchewan which I envisage, like Prudhomme, to have less than 200 people. It takes place about 2020.

Toronto chef, Jake Hardy, goes to Beautiful in the middle of our harsh winters to learn of the background of his husband, Eddie Kravets, who has died from a fall. 

In Beautiful we meet characters who are the current people of the Saskatchewan countryside. Many of them are seniors reflecting our demographics.

The Chinese cafe remains a staple of Saskatchewan life with local coffee groups gathering daily. The bountiful Ukrainian supper is whipped up and presided over by a local matriarch. The grocery store has an ailing 92 year old owner. The convent has a solitary nun.

Life is not perfect in Beautiful. Finding out Eddie’s background and relationship with his family shook Jake to his core.

Anthony Bidulka

At the same time life is good in Beautiful.People enjoy typical activities such as a snowmobile poker rally. It is a confusing event for the visitors from the big city.

Guy’s book was inspired by a real life murder in his hometown of Esterhazy. The book opens in August of 1939 with World War II looming.

Connaught is a small town. Esterhazy currently has about 2,400 people. I expect it was smaller in the late 1930’s. They are located in the same area of Saskatchewan.

Where the books of Nelson and Anthony have more light than dark, Guy has written a literary work of crime noir. I was saddened by the bleakness. 

The Depression years were before my time but I know from all the people I grew up with at Meskanaw that there was joy in the 1930’s. Unlike August Into Winter there were good marriages and happy families. Community events such as sports and dances were enjoyed. Life was challenging but most people had good years especially by 1939. Anthony Bidulka’s book, Going to Beautiful, set two generations later portrays the joys as well as the sorrows of rural Saskatchewan. Vanderhaeghe, as with myself and Anthony, grew up in the country. He understands life in the country. 

His characters are vivid and convincing. They felt real to Saskatchewan.

I was discouraged that Vidalia, an intelligent independent woman from Winnipeg, cannot see a meaningful life in rural Saskatchewan.

Oliver and Jack Dill are still deeply scarred by their experiences on the front lines of World War I over twenty years earlier. I knew men in my youth of the 1950’s and 1960’s who were still suffering from their service in World War II.

The town lawyer and Justice of the Peace, Weller, is about 80 and a cynic. I have not reached his almost 60 years at the bar but do my best not to be cynical.

Vanderhaeghe penetrates deeply into the psyches of his characters.

I appreciated, you cannot say liked, his portrayal of the twisted killer, Ernie Sickert. Guy’s descriptions of the distorted reality and rationalizations of Ernie were chilling.

None of the main characters are enjoying life at Connaught. Despair is a constant refrain. I found myself wishing there was more light to go with the dark. There was a bit of brightness in the book but not in Saskatchewan.

August Into Winter is a powerful story by a master storyteller who has won three Governor General of Canada Awards for fiction. 

I look forward to reading more crime fiction set in rural Saskatchewan. I admit hoping the rural life of future authors will have as much joy as sorrow.