Book description
Six-foot-eight and severely dyslexic, Brandon Vanderkool has always had
an unusual perspective. He knows the mating calls of all the local owls,
and can feel a flock of swans taking off before the sound reaches him.
But he finds human feelings harder to read especially lately. His father
has got him a job with the Border Patrol, a reluctant and miscellaneous
outfit that polices the often invisible frontier between the United
States and Canada. What used to be a sleepy hinterland of farms, with
foreign neighbours saluting each other ironically over a shallow ditch,
suddenly appears to have become the frontline of an escalating war on
drugs and terror. As CCTV cameras sprout up all over the forest,
previously law-abiding farmers find themselves increasingly tempted to
turn a blind eye. And Brandon, on his excursions to spot red-tailed
hawks and solo tree swallows, seems to be accidentally stumbling upon
every illegal immigrant and bud trafficker in the area. Closer to home,
Brandon s father is dealing with diseased dairy cows, his mother battles
encroaching dementia, and their Canadian neighbour s daughter Madeline
turns her gardening skills toward the cannabis underworld. And
overseeing everything is a mysterious masseuse who seems to know
everybody s secrets... Filled with eccentric characters and unique
histories, Border Songs is that rare delight: a gently satirical
portrait, an extraordinary love story and a celebration of the
coincidental and the miraculous. Six-foot-eight and severely dyslexic,
Brandon Vanderkool has always had an unusual perspective. He knows the
mating calls of all the local owls, and can feel a flock of swans taking
off before the sound reaches him. But he finds human feelings harder to
read especially lately. His father has got him a job with the Border
Patrol, a reluctant and miscellaneous outfit that polices the often
invisible frontier between the United States and Canada. What used to be
a sleepy hinterland of farms, with foreign neighbours saluting each
other ironically over a shallow ditch, suddenly appears to have become
the frontline of an escalating war on drugs and terror. As CCTV cameras
sprout up all over the forest, previously law-abiding farmers find
themselves increasingly tempted to turn a blind eye. And Brandon, on his
excursions to spot red-tailed hawks and solo tree swallows, seems to be
accidentally stumbling upon every illegal immigrant and bud trafficker
in the area. Closer to home, Brandon s father is dealing with diseased
dairy cows, his mother battles encroaching dementia, and their Canadian
neighbour s daughter Madeline turns her gardening skills toward the
cannabis underworld. And overseeing everything is a mysterious masseuse
who seems to know everybody s secrets... Filled with eccentric
characters and unique histories, Border Songs is that rare delight: a
gently satirical portrait, an extraordinary love story and a celebration
of the coincidental and the miraculous.
