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Before discussing the merits of the book, SILVER TOTEM OF SHAME, the fact of the title must be addressed. Although the totem pole in question is indeed being carved to depict the shame that a long-ago chief brought to his tribe, the title made this a book that I would have been more comfortable carrying around with a plain paper cover, or perhaps on an e-book reader. The title seemed to herald some sort of potboiler, a style of book I am not used to reading. Fortunately, however, the book itself was not melodramatic, but rather a well plotted mystery built on Haida native underpinnings.
As the book opens, a young apprentice is beginning work on a new totem pole in the studio of famed carver Ernest Paul. His work is interrupted by a killer and, as he lies dying on the floor of the studio, the totem pole is stolen and removed to Haida Gwaii, his ancestral home. Meg Harris and her new husband, Eric, are in a local museum when their guide, the young man’s girlfriend, hears of his death. It soon becomes clear that this same young man was the adopted son of Eric’s sister. Meg, Eric, and his sister, Chloe, all make a pilgrimage to Haida Gwaii to take part in a pole-raising ceremony honoring the new Chief, while allowing Chloe to scatter the ashes of her son on his homeland. When it turns out that the murderer is also on the island, their trip takes on a new purpose as the three search for the killer.
Throughout the book, Harlick weaves Haida culture with modern greed to make plausible multiple suspects. The details of the culture form a rich backdrop for events taking place as a new Chief takes power, moving the matriarchal influence from one clan to another on the island. Not only is Harlick’s writing about the native culture detailed and fascinating, but she brings similar life to the northern rain forest that forms the setting for much of the book. The reader can almost feel and hear the quiet dampness of moss-covered forest floors.
The richness of writing that brings the culture and the landscape to life overshadow the problems that Harlick encounters with dialogue. When interactions between the characters are filtered through Meg’s internal thoughts and feelings, those interactions form a seamless part of the storyline. However, in scenes that involve a good deal of conversation, the reader is jerked out of the book as stilted dialogue overlays the action. Fortunately, these scenes are infrequent, and the book as a whole is well written and rewarding.
In the end, the resolution makes sense and feels right given its cultural implications. It is helpful that the many different names for different characters are all sorted out as the book’s climax arrives, so that some of the confusion that obscured earlier plot developments falls away. This is the sixth of the Meg Harris books, which are set in the Canadian wilderness. It’s the second that I’ve read and enjoyed, the other being the fourth, ARCTIC BLUE DEATH. The books are worth reading for the sense of being transported to the wilderness alone.
§ Sharon Mensing is the Head of School of Emerald Mountain School, an independent school in the mountains of Colorado, where she lives, reads, and enjoys the outdoors.
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing, April 2014
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