Book Review: Barkskins by Annie Proulx

Earlier this summer, I watched the first couple episodes of the show “Barkskins” on Nat Geo. I was curious about it, not only because Nat Geo isn’t usually known for scripted dramas, but also because the commercials said it was based on a book by Annie Proulx, one of the best authors writing today. The show looked interesting, if overstuffed with storylines. It took place in the late 17th century outside of present-day Montreal, and mostly centered on two indentured servants who came over from France and were set to work clearing a forest until one of them escaped. There was also an Indian massacre, a pair of detectives, a family running an inn, a finishing school for upper class wives-to-be – as I said, it was pretty overstuffed.

I watched the first few episodes – I enjoyed them overall, but couldn’t always follow everyone’s storylines week to week. Then, in real life, the protests happened, followed by more political drama, followed by the return of sports, followed by some other long-awaited TV shows returning, and soon enough I had forgotten to finish up “Barkskins”.

I saw something about “Barkskins” a little while ago and figured I would check back in with it. But this time, instead of watching the show, I would read Annie Proulx’s book – not only for the pleasure of reading a great author, but also for the hope that the various characters and storylines would make more sense on the page.

What I found in the book was very different from the book.

For one thing, the only characters from the show that really matter in the book are the two indentured servants, their master, and his “Indian wife”.

For another thing, everything that happens in the first season of the show would have taken place only during the first half of the first chapter.

Barkskins the book is a widely sweeping tome that covers generations of families over 300+ years.

(So side note on the TV show before I drop it – what exactly was the end game for the TV execs? Again, Nat Geo isn’t a destination for people seeking scripted dramas – when I tried to explain the show to my mom she kept thinking I was talking about something like “Duck Dynasty” – and this most likely would be an expensive show to do if following the book. You’d need a good deal of different sets for when it really gets cooking – China, Paris, London, Maine, New Zealand, Detroit, Chicago, with Canada, Maine, and Chicago updated constantly to show the passing of years – and would need entirely new casts as main characters die off and are replaced by their children, all of which would be seen as kids, teens, adults, and old people. I would think there would be so much cost involved with this that it would be prohibitive to do even on HBO. Of course, Nat Geo is now owned by Disney, so the money is there – or was before the pandemic – but again, with Nat Geo not being a drama destination, is the juice worth the squeeze? Or did they cram the first season full of storylines so they can set the entire show in the first chapter? And if so, shouldn’t they have called it “Tales From Barkskins” or something? End of tangent.)

Barkskins the book begins, like the TV show, with two indentured servants coming over from France in the late 17th century. They are both put in the service of a wanna-be aristocrat who needs them to clear the land for the manse of his dreams. Shortly after they join him, one of them, Charles Duquet, escapes. Duquet uses his wits to work his way into the aristocracy himself, and eventually forms a timber company. The other indentured servant, Robert Sel, stays, becomes a master wood-chopper, and eventually starts a family with his master’s Mikmak wife. The Sel children learn from the patriarch and become wood choppers themselves. The rest of the book follows these two families up until the present day – one owning a profitable company, one balancing Indian culture with European culture and taking work at the lower levels of the timber business.

This book is very reminiscent of Steinbeck’s East of Eden, not only due to the wide scope, but also with the sharp view of reality. Over the course of 300+ years chance and luck continually interrupt themes – like in real life, nobody is safe from disaster or tragedy. Characters may seem important when they are introduced, then suddenly disappear or die – in a nod to reality, neither of the two family patriarchs meet “satisfying” deaths themselves. Characters will also have characteristics in their youth that are completely different in their adulthood and old age – whether for better or for worse.

While the two families are the story of the book, the theme of the book is the destruction of the forests in North America. When the story starts, the forest seems impenetrable; by the end of the book, whatever wild forests remain must be protected, and the real work is in forest restoration.

For a book this long and this broad, that asks for as much of a commitment as it does, we have to talk about the ending. There is no Schmoopie ending to this story. As Schmoopie ending, for those who don’t know, is the kind of ending my wife (Schmoopie) likes to read in her books – where every “I” is dotted, every “t” is crossed, end every loose end is tied up. Not only is there no Schmoopie ending to this book, but the most obvious ending is teased – twice! – towards the end of the book, only for real life to intervene. However, it can definitely be said that the ending it does have is probably the most satisfying one.

This is a book that asks a lot, but will reward you tenfold. Clear your schedule for the next month and pick it up – nine out of ten hot dogs!