The Revenge of Annie Charlie

Marcia Sweet is Head, Information/Reference Unit, Douglas Library,
Queen’s University.

Fry wrote the well-received How a People Die (1970) and The Burden of
Adrian Knowle (1974). This paperback is a reprint of the 1973 book.

The Revenge of Annie Charlie is ostensibly about a white man’s
relationship with his Native Canadian neighbors. Annie Charlie is Gyp
Sandhurst’s lover, and her father, Big Meadow Charlie, is his very
taciturn best friend. The book describes how Annie and her father draw
the reluctant Gyp into their circle. The purpose is to protect Big
Meadow Charlie’s son, who is wanted for a murder that he admits he
committed. During the novel, Gyp grows more responsible for his friends,
and more able to acknowledge the ways they are valuable to him. In the
process, he comes to understand his own past and values more clearly.

While the book appears to be Gyp’s story, Fry deftly narrates
Annie’s history and describes the impact of white institutions on her
personality and past. Her revenge is the nonviolent humiliation of the
Mountie who symbolizes, to her, the ills of white culture.

The book’s flaws are the forced depiction of one constable as a
ridiculous buffoon, and the anticlimactic humiliation of the other.
Also, although Fry’s heavy reliance on narrative is largely
appropriate, because none of the main characters is very communicative,
richer description of the setting, the situation, and the characters
would have produced a more balanced and enjoyable book.

Fry’s long experience as a resident of the Canadian Northwest
enhances the story’s authenticity. His expression is unadorned and
straightforward, and very eloquent. The story line is direct but subtly
elaborated. The character depiction, except in the case of the Mounties,
is sympathetic and egalitarian.

This book explores the interaction and development of singular
characters in an unusual situation. Despite the “message,” which is
still timely, the book is not didactic; rather, it is a pleasure to
read.