Riverside Park South resident releases new historical fiction novel

Posted Feb 9, 2012 By Eddie Rwema

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EMC News - Riverside Park South resident author Terrence Rundle West has released his new historical fiction novel about the Spanish Civil War and the role played by individual Canadians in that conflict.

Not in My Father's Footsteps revolves around Montreal in the 1930s when the city was at the peak of economic hardships, social, religious and cultural tension.

This resulted into many young men resorting to live the city with many opting to go fight fascists in Spain.

"Canadians tend to know that we were involved in the Spanish Civil War, but they don't know much about it and they don't know the sacrifices these young men made," said West.

In his novel, West writes about 1,700 Canadians that went to fight in Spain and 400 of these Canadian men died in that war.

"That is more Canadians than were killed in Korea and three times the number who died in Afghanistan. It gives you an idea of the scale," he said.

"It is small scale compared to world wars but these were volunteers."

From Outremont to St. Urbain Street, people are struggling to lift off the yoke of strife and despair caused by the most devastating economic depression the world has ever experienced.

West's new novel is set in three locations - Montreal, Canada and Spain.

"The backdrop to the story is Montreal in the '30s Canada in the '30s and Spain in the civil war," said West.

A retired teacher, West said he was interested in knowing more about these Canadians and why they made decision like crossing the Atlantic to fight for a cause that was not their own.

"I became more fascinated with why they left and started researching them, which led to making couple of trips to Spain," said West.

The novel takes the readers on a journey of two characters Marty and Dollard who because of their upbringing find themselves on opposite sides of the defining issues of the day - textile strikes, the Rabinovitch Affair, L'Achat Chez Nous, Jeune Canada, labour camps, the On-To-Ottawa Trek.

Not in my Father's Footsteps accompanies the two men on their journey, searching for the whys of each step taken along the way.

As events unfold they take paths that will plunge them into the Spanish Civil War, but on opposite side and only one will return.

The two one was of Jewish background and the other of French Canadian.

"Because of the racial, cultural, linguistic divide the two characters are bound to clash and one of them is forced to leave Montreal and ride the rails back and forth across the country," said West.

What he has done is to take real history and wove his characters in it, he said.

"What I was trying to do was to find out what would make Canadians go to a foreign country they know nothing about and risk their lives to fight fascism," said West.

The novel is West's third book and in it he uses his writing skills to seamlessly blend history with fiction to weave a riveting narrative.

His second book, Run of the Town, won the 2007 Northern 'Lit' Award.

Born and raised in Hearst, Ont., West is a former teacher and vice principle who loves to share his knowledge with others.

"I am a teacher at heart and I love to share," he said.

Eddie.rwema@metroland.com




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