Silver Threads

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

Based on historical events in Canada and Ukraine, Silver Threads is a
moving tale of a young Ukrainian couple who emigrate to western Canada
in the second decade of this century so that the husband can escape
forced military service for “the Emperor.” In the Canadian West,
Ivan and Anna obtain a quarter-section of land (a giant piece compared
with their two acres back in Ukraine) and start to slowly clear the
trees. When World War II breaks out in 1914, Ivan is declared an enemy
alien and imprisoned for its duration. Anna survives despite awesome
difficulties, and her faith and optimism are rewarded when Ivan returns
on Christmas Day.

Marsha Skrypuch’s story is told in simple language, fleshed out with
details of Ukrainian life and culture. Michael Martchenko’s
illustrations, like the text, are dramatic and idealized. An afterword
notes that some 5000 men, women, and children were imprisoned between
1914 and 1920, and that much of their property was taken from them and
never returned. Skrypuch’s grandfather was one such internee.
Recommended.