One of my friends was moving up to Yellowknife, and another friend (who happens to know the author) bought her a copy of this graphic novel. I sat there in the bar at her farewell, getting thoroughly distracted reading the book, until when I was 25 pages in I realised I really should put it down, start being social, and track down a copy at the library. So I did!

It's a fascinating portrayal of life up in Yellowknife, from living in a van, to pee buckets, the different sides to town, and just how on earth to manage when the sun disappears (or when it comes back, along with the bugs). And the conflict between the forces of gentrification and order vs the joyful chaos of ramshackle Old Town. The art captures the feel of the place well (unlike some other graphic novels where I struggle with the style of the art in combination with a story I might enjoy). This story of the author's move up to Yellowknife with her boyfriend is highly recommended (and now I really want to go and visit too). ( )

I wish I could remember how I heard about this graphic novel. I thought it would have been from John Mutford's blog, The Book Mine Set, because John lives in Yellowknife and reads lots of graphic novels. However, searching his blog posts I can't find it so it seems he was not the one to recommend this book. I would really like to remember because this was a terrific introduction to one of Canada's most northern cities.

The author (who is also the artist) and her boyfriend Pat decided to spend the summer in Yellowknife after they had graduated from college. They wanted to earn some big money so they could spend the next while travelling. This wouldn't have been such a momentous decision if they lived in Alberta or anywhere in the west. But Alison and Pat drove 5216 km from Chicoutimi, QC to get to Yellowknife. To make the trip they purchased a soccer mom's van and they just hoped it would last long enough to get them there. Despite the Check Engine light coming on every so often and despite the mechanic who told them it would cost more to fix than the vehicle was worth they did manage to get to the city on the shores of Great Slave Lake. They did find jobs but accommodation was much more difficult to find so they squatted in their van on a piece of vacant land for most of the summer. Eventually they met people and lucked into some house-sitting jobs. Although many of the houses they looked after were quite luxurious the couple really preferred the shacks in the part of Old Town called the Woodyard. They finished up their jobs and headed south for the next year but they felt called back to Yellowknife. Now Alison's driver's license gives her address as Dragon Shack Woodyard, Yellowknife, NWT.

Great story and fantastic artwork. ( )