Who's a Scaredy-Cat!: A Story of the Halifax Explosion

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray teaches English literature at Brandon
University, Brandon, Manitoba.

The devastating explosion in Halifax Harbour in 1917 that flattened the
north end of Halifax and caused extensive damage across the harbour in
Dartmouth has continued to haunt the imagination of Haligonians. The
many stories of the disaster that she had heard as a child inspired Joan
Payzant, the author of several works on the history of Halifax, to write
a fictional account of one young girl’s experience during and after
the explosion.

Isobel has a reputation among her schoolmates as a “scaredy-cat.”
Her friends tease her about her cautious and quiet manner, and for her
refusal to join in their sometimes cruel pranks. Yet, when she witnesses
the horrific explosion from the deck of a Dartmouth ferry, Isobel finds
that she has hidden resources of strength and courage. She rescues an
elderly neighbour, the local “witch,” from the ruins of her home,
and helps one of her former tormentors—the bold and fun-loving
Flossie—as she desperately searches for her missing mother in the days
following the blast.

As Isobel moves through scenes of devastation and ruin, the reader gets
a glimpse of the many stories of the explosion that inspired Payzant:
the courage and resourcefulness of the locals who responded so quickly
to care for the injured and homeless, the miraculous survivals, and the
heartbreaking tragedies. Payzant’s story vividly depicts young
Isobel’s reactions as the war, which had seemed so far away, is
suddenly and dramatically brought home to her native Halifax. Highly
recommended.