Vicory: by James Case
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Set in Newfoundland in the mid-19th century, Vicory tells the story of a young man grappling with the piousness of the house into which he is born, his close relationship with his uncle who struggles with mental trauma, and Phoebe Jane, his feisty sister who runs the household with remarkable, innate skill - tending to her siblings while her mother is preoccupied with matters of faith.
The grandson of Ananias, Vicory, provides the first-person perspective of a boy struggling to be a man, while observing and interpreting his father James and Uncle John. Through Vicory, I wanted to evoke the harshness of their lives, yet explore moments of compassion and tenderness, stemming from the all-to-common tragedies which touch their very existence.
The story begins with a flash forward incident of Vicory docking in Liverpool after a trans-Atlantic voyage on the schooner, Trusty. In the scene, Vicory is casually observing the migrational and commercial madness that is Waterloo Dock in the late 19th century when he sees, or thinks he has seen, his beloved uncle below in the mayhem.
The reader is led to question: “Why is his uncle missing?” and this question is revisited throughout the novel, by means of returning to Vicory’s quest in Liverpool and in London.
Over the course of the central story, we are taken on three successive voyages to the Labrador coast, a wild and forbidding frontier, yet, a vital aspect of Newfoundland heritage. We are introduced to the technical innovation of the day, a “fish-killin’-machine” that promises abundance - more specifically, the prospect of overcoming the financial debt that enslaves the fisherfolk. The machine, a prototype cod trap, takes on anthropomorphic qualities as the novel progresses, and ultimately is accused of murder.
The tragic loss of the Huntsman in a horrific storm while prosecuting the seal fishery results in the death of the fathers of Vicory’s closest friends, cousins Mark and Ed Parsons. Facing an existential threat, the three young men join with Vicory’s father and uncle to purchase a bully boat in order to travel to Labrador each summer season to chase the lucrative northern cod.
Through the vehicle of a near-fatal accident (second storyline) Vicory discovers that his close friend Tommy is, in fact, his cousin. His estranged aunt’s connection to him has been expunged by his family because of the child she bore out of wedlock. But through his uncle’s intervention, Tommy is taken on as a hand for the Labrador expeditions.
It is the bond between Vicory and his sister, Phoebe Jane, that is at the heart of the story’s plot. Her tragic death while on expedition is the trigger by which Uncle John’s psychosis overtakes him.
The backstory features Newfoundland’s strong ties with the motherland: England. Vicory finds himself in London, ostensibly for reasons having to do with furthering his education, but in reality, he is on a hopeless search mission.
In the end, Vicory, Tommy, Mark and Ed all have to come to grips with their collective future.
