Sailor Girl
Sailor Girl by Sheree-Lee Olson, published by The Porcupine’s Quill in 2008, is a 288-page work that explores themes of rebellion and connection against the backdrop of Canada’s Great Lakes. Set in the summer of 1981, the narrative follows Kate McLeod, a photography student who embarks on a journey to earn money for her education. Through vivid dialogue and detailed descriptions, the book presents a portrait of life on cargo boats, highlighting the challenges and dynamics of living on the fringes of society.
Readers will find a blend of coming-of-age elements and a love story that captures Kate’s interactions with the diverse characters she encounters, including young men and strong women. The story delves into the physical and social realities of life on the water, as Kate navigates both the explicit and implicit rules of her environment. Sailor Girl serves as a unique exploration of a specific moment in Canadian history, reflecting on a way of life that is gradually fading from memory.
Official synopsis Publisher
Sailor Girl is both coming-of-age tale and love poem to the natural world. Set on the cargo boats of Canada’s Great Lakes in the summer of 1981, it follows the literal and figurative journey of Kate McLeod, a rebellious photography student looking to earn money for school. Using tight, salty dialogue and gripping description, the book renders a sharp-edged portrait of life literally lived on the edges of society.
It is also a love story, in which a middle-class girl finds a deep connection with the unruly young men and toughminded women of the lakes. Life on the water is both brutally physical and socially restrictive, and Kate kicks against the rules, both written and unwritten. A female riff on such classics as Two Years Before the Mast and Malcolm Lowry’s Ultramarine, Sailor Girl is also a uniquely Canadian story, one that distills a vanishing part of our heritage.
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