The Whistling Season

Author
Ivan Doig was born in the year of 1939 in White Sulphur Springs Montana. Most of his writing includes a Rocky Mountain Front Setting. Doig has many accolades such as becoming a finalist for the National Book Award, acclaimed to his novels (Doig www.ivandoig.com).
Doig graduated from North Western University where he obtained a Bachelors and a Masters in journalism, after which he attended the University of Washington where he received his PhD in history, Doig’s so called “creed” for his writers is that they “will take with them…this belief…that writers of caliber can ground their work in specific land and lingo and yet be writing of that larger country: life” (Doig www.ivandoig.com).

Brief Excerpt from the book with parenthetical documentation
“The Rembrandt light of memory, finicky and magical and faithful at the same time, as the cheaper tint of nostalgia never is. Much of the work of my life has been to sort instruction from illusion, and, in the endless picture of gallery behind the eye, I have learned to rely on a certain radiance of a detail to bring back the exactitude of a moment. Perhaps it might be the changeling green of a mallard’s head in a slant of sun, as back there on Father’s pothole Lake District. Or the gun gray of my thermos jug when I pulled over to the shoulder of the road in The Cut to sip at coffee while reliving a race: the shadow tone of a wolfer’s horse” (Doig 152)
Summary
The Whistling Season takes place in the early 1900’s in Marias Coulee Montana. The story opens with the main character Pual Milliron reflecting on his childhood in Marias Coulee and before too much thought, the reader is thrown into Paul’s complete nostalgic story of his past.
At a young age, Paul’s mother died leaving a husband and three boys behind. The mere male family seems to fare just fine, (excepting poorly cooked meals) but nonetheless Paul’s father decides to hire a woman as their permanent housekeeper. Thus Rose Llewellyn and her pensive yet sophisticated brother in law enter the lives of the Milliron family forever. The story thickens as Paul continues to reminisce his childhood life in Montana. But only the reader himself can discover the purpose and charm in this eloquent novel by personally eating the words one page at a time.

Intended audience
Young adult and adult readers alike would best receive this book. This novel takes place in the west but does not feel overly western. Rather, it serves as a realistic fiction where the reader can relate to the characters and events in a light hearted and enjoyable way.
A charm and wonderful strength of this book is Doig’s use of language. His sentence fluency and vocabulary is so rare in American society that it is a relief to read. It is also is enlightening to read a novel that flows so beautifully yet keeps the reader on his toes with the unexpected but captivating vernacular.

Potential impact of the book on the reader
The characters in this novel are a major strength in this book. Whether it’s the pedagogic yet demur Mr. Morgan, or the classic antagonist Brose Turley, the readers will find numerous characters to relate with and in turn either love or hate, depending on their own person al experiences.
Besides the characters, another strength that readers can benefit from in this novel is the idea that knowledge is power and even those things which seem most complex, have simple truths and liberating attributes. Through out the story, the reader will com in touch with these simple truths and begin to desire to expand their understanding on numerous things and enjoy the simplicity and beauty of many different aspects of their lives. This yearning for simplistic yet involved knowledge will leave the reader with wonder and excitement, and if acted upon, will help the reader discover something new and meaningful for her/himself.

A formalist review of the literary elements
The language is an immediate and continuous strength in this novel. Literally from the first paragraph to the very last sentence, vernacular and sentence fluency is so complete and beautifully written that it does not take long for the reader to become consumed in this novel.
The characters development in this novel is also highly effective. Everything from the name, descriptions, and even the minute actions of every character, paints a vivid image in the readers mind, which brings the characters to life. The realness of each character makes this story easy to relate too as well as find personal meaning.
A weakness of this novel however, is the rushed ending. The plot and structure is so well put together until the last 45 pages where it seems as though the author threw in an interesting twist but did not give the reader enough time to consume, enjoy, and think about the surprise ending. Rather, the end almost feels like taking a delicious bite out of pumpkin pie and then swallowing the rest whole with out enjoying the taste or flavor of the rest of the pie. It’s good, but not satisfying because there was no chance to really enjoy it.

A brief analysis using at least one literary theory
Reader Response: The Whistling Season is a nostalgic novel in which many Americans can relate to because of the main bases Doig hits in the novel pertaining to American life. One of these main bases that readers will love to absorb and analyze, is that of childhood perspective and becoming of age. Throughout this novel, the reader grows with Paul Milliron as he starts with his naïve out look and worries on life and enters the raw stages of adulthood by the end of the novel. As Paul begins to mature, the reader will remember their days of childhood ignorance and bliss as well as recall the days when responsibility slowly crept into their lives forever. It’s interesting to look at the stages of maturity from an outside view because it can help one decipher those changes in him/herself and use those stages as a gate to further growth and maturity in the future.



Works Cites

Doig, Ivan. "Ivan Doig". Dec 5, 2007 .

Doig, Ivan. The Whistling Season. Harcourt, Inc., 2006.