Robert J. C. Stead. Dry Water

Robert J. C. Stead. Dry Water. Edited and with an introduction by Neil Querengesser and Jean Horton. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, 2008. 338 pp. Introduction. Notes. Variant readings. $38.00 sc. Robert J. C. Stead's novel Dry Water is new and old at the same time. Between 1935 and 1948, Stead tried to place the novel with a number of Canadian and American publishers, but could not, and the novel was never published during his lifetime. His attempts at revision resulted in two significantly different manuscripts, one much shorter than the other. The shorter version, published in a critical edition in 1983, is not well-known and has received little scholarly attention. Now, the University of Ottawa Press has released an edition of the longer manuscript, and it is a valuable contribution to the bookshelf. In addition to its scholarly interest, the novel is an entertaining read. It is divided into three parts, each concentrating on a different stage of the life of Donald Strand, the protagonist. Part 1 opens in 1890 as Donald, an orphan at age ten, arrives at his uncle and aunt's Manitoba farm. Despite his grief over his parents' deaths, his childhood experience of the farm is largely idyllic, as he plays schoolyard games, revels in the farm's bounty, and begins a strong and loving relationship with his cousin Ellen. Part 2 picks up Donald at the age of twenty-one, when he learns that his parents have left him a legacy of $5,000. This bequest enables him to benefit from the poor money management of a neighbour, who must sell his debt-laden farm for a low price in order to avoid repossession. While this purchase sets Donald up to succeed as a farmer himself, his treatment of the bankrupt seller also reveals a hardness to his character, and a willingness to exploit others' misfortunes for the sake of his own advancement. Having settled on a career, Donald turns his attention to the romantic choices he faces. He and Ellen love each other, but the fact that they are cousins causes them to refuse a sexual relationship (although such a relationship seems fine with others in the community). His choice is thus between Hester, a pedestrian but capable farm girl with whom he grew up, and Clara, the glamorous and sexually exciting newly-arrived schoolteacher. Eventually, through some machinations on her part, Clara wins out. Part 3 rejoins Donald at the age of forty-nine, when he is the most successful farmer in the district, with a large house, three children, and a still-desirable wife. However, the couple has become emotionally estranged, and the children, rebellious. The eldest son, Tom, has left the farm to work in a bank; Clarissa, the daughter, dresses provocatively and dates a Communist; and Walter, the youngest son, stays out late, drives too fast, and generally worries his father. Donald's solace comes from isolating himself in his home office, calculating and recalculating his monetary worth. His competitive spirit is roused by the success of Jimmie Wayne, a childhood friend who has grown up to be a lawyer in Winnipeg and who has married Ellen. …

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