War Torn: Adventures in the Brave New Canada is a transcontinental road trip account with a difference, politics mixed with travelogue as author Parfitt tries to get a handle on his homeland after a dozen years in Asia. He describes how, in his opinion, the country has shifted to the right, and how it has embraced shallow nationalism. He rues public indifference to and ignorance of Canadian involvement in Afghanistan.
Despite the political angle, it is still very much a travel book, one with a great sense of movement, the layers of info and politics restrained and woven in with skill. The book never drags because the writing is excellent and the pacing speeds up as we go through the provinces, more coverage on the eastern regions, less on the western provinces. There are a couple of fascinating side trips – one to Nunavat (“The Great White North’s Great White North”) and another to France (well, the island of Saint Pierre off the Newfoundland coast).
There are plenty of laughs in Parfitt’s books as he casts a cynical eye over some of the characters encountered, but the book is slightly depressing in some ways. The people and culture are often found wanting, and then there’s the author’s inability to reconnect to his country and his decision to once again leave it.
Despite Parfitt’s rather bleak take on Canada, if you were to ask me the simple question, "Did reading the book increase or decrease your desire to visit Canada?" I would say it made me keener to visit. Parfitt’s descriptive writing is superb, and War Torn beautifully conveys the size and majesty of the country, and the regional variations within it.
If Amazon had half stars, I’d take off half a star because I disagree with Parfitt’s political views, but I’ll give it five rather than four for its boldness.
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