Overview
Trouble begins in a small Newfoundland fishing outport when a new magistrate arrives from England. A pompous and arrogant man, he expects deference without doing anything to earn it. The magistrate’s attitude is contrasted sharply with that of John, a young man with Downs Syndrome, who measures people by their behaviour, not reputation. It takes a near tragedy at sea to show the magistrate who holds the better set of values.Synopsis
Trouble begins in a small Newfoundland fishing outport when a new magistrate arrives from England. A pompous and arrogant man, he expects deference without doing anything to earn it. The magistrate’s attitude is contrasted sharply with that of John, a young man with Downs Syndrome, who measures people by their behaviour, not reputation. It takes a near tragedy at sea to show the magistrate who holds the better set of values.
Children's Literature
This challenging book is about an encounter between a mentally handicapped young man and the town magistrate, and is set in a small, coastal village in Newfoundland shortly after World War II. The magistrate is newly arrived from England with an attitude that is less than obliging to the townfolk. John, the young man, knows no strangers, and often expresses what others only dare to think. When the magistrate acts uppity with townfolk, John, good naturedly, sets him in his place. The magistrate reacts by calling John a hangashore, a cultural name for a "good-for-nuthin'". Accompanied by primitive-like illustrations of Newfoundland coastal life, the story follows John's reaction to the magistrate's name-calling, and the surprising, but heart-warming conclusion to the tale. The use of colloquialisms and old fashioned power structures will require some explanation for young readers. In fact, the author's style of jumping from one scenario to another may require a first reading by an adult to clarify the story. It is an interesting look at another time and place.