Author Origin: Toronto, Ontario
Page Count: 183
Genre: Fiction
Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Grade Level: 12+
Key Talking Points: Family, relationships, and friendships, the retelling of classic stories, geography and world travel, futuristic technology
Sensitive Subject Matter: Mild Violence and Sexuality.
Summary: Set in a future version of our world where travel back in time is not only possible, it is the cure for previously incurable diseases, Army of the Brave and Accidental re-imagines the story of Odysseus from The Odyssey in a way that honours the original text, but is also deeply relevant to our modern North American society. It is fresh and surprising, while still being grounded in its classical roots.
Oliver (Odysseus), leaves his newborn son and his wife in order to fall back in time and survive his fatal cancer. He knows this means he will never see them again, but if he were to stay, he would die, and be lost to them anyway. Through the "shifting perspectives of a large cast of characters", the reader jumps back and forth through time, following Oliver on his journey and seeing what life is like for the family he left behind (Fullarton). Oliver gathers friends in every location he falls to, and they embark on a variety of adventures, risking the wrath of their own version of Poseidon when they blind his son, withstanding the call of the sirens, and being aided by the watchful Athena and her messenger. Penelope, Oliver's wife, is also shown as she raises her son alone and tries to move on without the husband she loved. Just as in The Odyssey, Oliver ends up stalled in his journey for a long time, although not held by force. Calandra is his Calyspo, but he truly loves her, and only when he is offered the opportunity to go home and see his wife and son again, does he leave the life he built with her. Knowing how the story is meant to end doesn't at all spoil the journey. In any case, Boyd offers Oliver a gift in his ending that Odysseus was never given, and so still manages to catch the reader off guard.
This book has very defined beginning and ending points that are differentiated from the rest of the text by their focus. The narrative at these times seems to have more purpose, in contrast to the middle of the text, Oliver's journey, which comes across very purposeless. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as readers let themselves enjoy the ride. Each time Oliver falls into the past, he finds himself in not only a new time, but also a new location. Boyd lovingly describes each place in minute details, ignoring the broad brushstrokes of description in favour of the individual flavours and moods a place evokes. Some landmarks or tourist destinations in the cities are mentioned, but more time is spent on a small interaction with a local, the multicoloured bricks of a building, or the way "small streams of water sweep over themselves and fingerpaint in the sand." (Boyd 110). As a traveler myself, I was able to recognize many places that I had also been to. Some are large, well known spots, and some very small towns that I was surprised and excited to see mentioned. I really appreciated the intimate feeling I got from Boyd's descriptions. It reminded me most vividly of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, one of my favourite books, in the way that it gave life to a location in an almost mystical way. Boyd is also a poet, and it is clear from his word choice and phrasing. So many lines make you want to pause and savor them, to read them and then tuck them in your pocket for later.
Because so much time and space in this text is given to the setting, the development of the characters is limited. Sometimes I wish I was given more, so that I would care when the characters faced struggles, but often I wasn't too worried by this because I enjoyed the detail and care taken in the geographical descriptions. The middle of the book also is a little light on plot, but that didn't bother me for the same reason that the characterization didn't. I would only say that I found that I enjoyed reading this one in smaller sittings, rather than extended binges. I would just sip at the text and then leave, only to happily return a day or two later.
Teacher Note: As much as I enjoyed this book, I think it would be difficult for a student at the high school level to feel the same way. A younger reader would find the meandering nature of the story difficult to stay engaged with. So, for the first time on this blog, I'm going to say that Army of the Brave and Accidental is best suited to a post-secondary classroom. On its own, the text could be used as a jumping off point for a research project on one of the many locations Oliver travels to. As mentioned above, the in-depth way that each location is described would offer interesting points of comparison to the real world. As a companion piece, this text would be as a light breeze after the strong winds of The Odyssey itself; the relation being clear, but the language and themes being so much softer.
Final Thought: As long as you are willing to go on a journey yourself, becoming immersed in the different locations and voices the story is told in, this book is a nice escape. And one that you don't have to leave home on a 20 year adventure to experience.
📚 Ms. CAN Lit
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