The Arbutus/Madrone Files: Reading the Pacific Northwest

Tami Oliphant is a Ph.D. candidate in Library and Information Studies at the University of Western Ontario.

Whether the location in question is the Himalayas, a hometown, or a
backyard, human beings have a desire to understand place. Place is what
shapes us. Place is what makes us who we are. In The Arbutus/Madrone
Files, author Laurie Ricou uses a compelling combination of quotations,
literature, history, geography, culinary habits, poetry, song lyrics,
artwork, and the author’s own expertise in regional literature to
create a loving, well-crafted, and languid homage to the Pacific
Northwest region.

There is much to admire in The Arbutus/Madrone Files, in both format
and content. The title is derived from the two names given to the same
tree—a tree that grows only in the Pacific Northwest region. Canadians
call it the Arbutus, whereas Americans call it the Madrone. This is a
central theme throughout the book; Ricou states, “The slash separating
and joining Arbutus and Madrone figures the artificial/real border that
contributes to the region’s doubleness and fluidity.” The Pacific
Northwest region crosses several geographical and cultural borders. Some
borders are more obvious than others—the U.S.–Canadian border; the
borders between land and water, forest and city; and the borders between
people and cultures (Asian, Aboriginal, European, American, Canadian).
Ricou explores these borders, this fluidity, through the use of
“files” rather than linear chapters. Each file is replete with
meditations, ruminations, and reflections taken from diverse sources.
Using works by Daphne Marlatt, Ursula LeGuin, Jack Hodgins, Ken Kesey,
and many others, Ricou creates his insightful files: the Island File,
the Sasquatch File, the Woodswords File, the Intertidal File, and, of
course, the Rain File.

The book reads like a patchwork quilt—each file stands on its own but
when woven together, they provide a flavour of the geographical,
biological, historical, and cultural intricacies of the place known as
the Pacific Northwest. The Arbutus/Madrone Files will appeal to those
who are familiar with the Northwest region as well as those interested
in regional literature or eco-criticism.