It’s been a good many years since I read one of Braithwaite’s novels for the first time, and to be honest, I’d never heard of this one until I found it in a second-hand book store. I didn’t know what to make of it at first.
However, as with everything I’ve ever read of his, Max won me over in short order. Here’s a synopsis from an online site:
The time is early in the Second World War, the setting is Wabagoon, Saskatchewan, and the “ship” is a converted garage, christened HMCS Porpoise and used for the training of local navy recruits. And when the Porpoise weighs anchor in the Canadian dustbowl, the navy insists that sand is water, windows are portholes, and floors are decks.
In the midst of it all – and very much at sea – is Robin Evelyn Francis Diespecker, familiarly known as “Dink”. A young, brash, impetuous boy, eager for adventure, Dink joins the war to get away from home and the Great Depression. But the “war,” as embodied on board the Porpoise, gives him both more and less than he bargained for, as one misadventure follows another.
The people he meets and the exploits he survives – both “ashore” and “on board” – are rendered with the master touch of Max Braithwaite, whose wry humorous vision keeps a salvo of satire and comic escapades right on target all the way through. A riotous romp with a poignant edge, Braithwaite’s newest novel makes a mockery of war and finds fathoms of fun in human foibles.
This was one of the last novels penned by Braithwaite. I highly recommend settling in for an entertaining read!
The Prairie Fiddler 