The Sparrow's Fall

Lori McLeod is a librarian with the Toronto Public Library.

In this finely crafted tale, Jacob Atook, a native Canadian, battles starvation when a cruel and harsh winter brings famine to the Hudson Bay Lowland. Having defied his elders to marry a woman who was betrothed to another, Jacob and his wife Niska live in exile. When faced with a lack of food to nourish his wife and unborn child, Jacob must set out on his own to track a caribou.

Bodsworth does not write a simple adventure story. Jacob’s struggle is not only with his environment, but also with his conscience. He is caught in a conflict between the traditional way of life and that of the white man. Jacob has been told by a missionary, Father Webber, that killing is a sin.

The author eloquently addresses the theme of nature’s showing humans how to live. Bodsworth’s keen interest in natural history is readily evident. The Sparrow’s Fall, originally published in 1967, is a welcome addition to the New Canadian Library series.