"A Stone's Throw" - a Book, History and What Will Happen Next?
Yes, it is a strange title for a book review, but this is about "A Stone's Throw," written as a first novel by Bill E. Byers from Gananoque, ON. A book I recommend highly. In fact, I could not put it down – I read it in one day and am not giving any spoiler alerts – the ending is so different – far from what I was expecting – and it is simply terrific!
Published synopsis
"A Stone's Throw" is a coming-of-age story, but it’s also a story about loss: loss of property, loss of heritage, loss of family, and loss of love, and a young man's search to regain at least some of these.
It's the summer of 1968 and Victor is lost.
Three months after the death of his father, the 18-year-old high school dropout finds himself living alone in the family farmhouse surrounded by the neglected remnants of the once famous Gibson Apple Orchard. In the family for 150 years, the riverfront farm had most of its acreage flooded for the expansion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958. Now, the arrival of cottages and summer residents has driven up the value of the farmhouse. Victor's mother and sister want to sell to developers and move ahead with their lives.
As friends and family plan for the future, they are frustrated with Victor's lack of direction, however, a chance encounter at Upper Canada Village with an intriguing woman from Boston presents Victor with an unconventional path forward . . .
Before we go much further, you need to understand that those of us who live on the upper St. Lawrence River may think our lives only revolve around the Thousand Islands and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway ships that we can see daily all summer. Still, Our St. Lawrence is one of North America's great rivers, with much history downriver. Some of that history is something that author Bill Byers captures in detail. In fact, it is one of the best and most concise historical reviews available of the flooding of the Seaway west of Cornwall and across the River from Waddington, NY.
TI Life's Review: A Stone's Throw, by Bill E. Byers
Writing this book review is not a difficult task:
Is the plot engaging? It certainly is. As someone who loves history, the who, what, when, and why questions about what happened to the area of Ontario known as the Lost Villages were answered with real facts and figures. All this history is told over a time span, as one sees Victor's life go before him. It was a life filled with difficult choices. Not only that, Victor is a photographer and how, when and why he takes his photographs will definitely be intriguing.
Are the characters well-developed? (Smile.) I spent the day meeting Victor, his father, his mother, his best friend, and, of course, his girlfriend(s). Instantly, I made them all my friends.
Is the writing style effective? The fact that I could not put the book down is the answer. The fact that I hope the author is working on a second novel is also high praise.
Is there a sequel? Not sure, as many of the loose ends in the book are tied up. However, there is a clue. In the last twenty pages we meet a young man, Edward, who is writing the dissertation for his PhD in Marine Biology at Duke University. He is researching the gradual ecological changes caused by the arrival of Zebra Mussels in the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Yes, smile, because if you are reading the book you will catch on easily!
Interview with the author:
Q: What did you do over the years?)
A: I am retired from a career in film production (editing and cinematography) and film education. I have lived in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, and Hollywood, and have held positions in the Cinema Department at Concordia University and in the Department of Film at York University.
Q: Where did you learn your photography?
A: In my novel the main character, Victor, is an avid amateur photographer who establishes a very successful career in photography without going to college. I, on other hand, did go to college and studied photography and cinematography at Humber College in Toronto.
Q: Did you wake up one day and say, “I am going to write a novel?” or have you been writing over the years?
A: I have always been an amateur writer. Keeping notes, story ideas, and writing short essays. Nothing published, other than an essay in the Globe and Mail in 2008, and of course A Stone’s Throw. My writing skills were honed and encouraged through a series of evening courses at George Brown College and while completing a degree in Humanities at York University. It was one particular course at George Brown called ‘A Novel Idea,’ which I completed in 2010, wherein the course instructor strongly encouraged me to push forward with finishing A Stone’s Throw.
Q: How long have you been thinking about Victor, and how many months did it take to write?
A: I have been thinking about Victor’s story for many years. I recall doing research in the pre-internet days, reading books about the Seaway construction in the Cornwall Public library. I think the genesis of the story may have been as early as 50 years ago. My family owned a cottage on the banks of the St. Lawrence River before the expansion of the Seaway. The cottage was down a lane from an apple orchard, south of old Highway 2. The cottage was moved in the winter of 1957–58 and placed next to a brick farmhouse. Other cottages were moved and lined up alongside and once the River level rose to the new level (post Inundation Day July 1st 1958), this area became known as Ault Island. Much of the eastern end of the island was dotted with apple trees, remnants of the Kirkwood Apple orchard, which existed before the flood. My story revolves around a family owned apple orchard on the edge of the St. Lawrence.
In the summer of 1973, I worked for the St. Lawrence Parks commission on a maintenance crew. I was 20, and the men on the crew were in their 50’s and 60’s; most of them had lost homes and land to the Seaway. I listened to their stories and was moved by the loss they had suffered. We would drive along the Long Sault Causeway on the way to job sites at Provincial Parks and islands named after villages they had lost. That summer I had just completed the first year of film school, and I started thinking of writing a story based on the consequences of the construction of the Seaway. The devastation and loss caused by the Seaway would form the background to my story, however I had no framework for the narrative at that time. I simply planted a seed that a story should be written. Then life got in the way. I sat on the idea for a long time, made notes, and then work-shopped some chapters in writing courses between 2008 and 2010. I sat on the story a little longer, but worked hard at completing the novel during the 2020 Covid pandemic lockdown. Finally, I polished it up with the excellent help of an editor (Lisa Taylor). It was published by Burnstown in May of 2024.
Q: And what is next? You must promise to write more! And finally, where can readers get the book?
A: I have no plans at the moment to write another book based on the Seaway. I am always writing. I am a member of the Gananoque writing group called Just Write. It keeps my skills up and I get to hear the work of others. I am taking Creative Writing courses at Conestoga College in London, ON. Again, as a forum to workshop ideas. At the moment I am writing short essays, perhaps with a mind to compile them.
Where can we find A Stone's Throw?
• Available through the publisher: Burnstown Publishing House
ISBN: 978-1-77257-419-7 (PB)
ISBN: 978-1-77257-420-3 (eBook)
• Lost Villages Museum Store in Long Sault, ON.
• Painted Turtle Cafe, 167 King Street East, in Gananoque, ON., (613) 449-6065
•Thousand Islands History Museum 125 Water Street, Arthur J.E. Child Building Gananoque, ON K7G 3E3
Soft cover: Cost: $30. (Canadian funds)
So there you have it: A Stone's Throw by Bill E. Byers
As you read at the beginning of this review: I recommend this book highly. In fact, I could not put it down – I read it in one day and am not giving any spoiler alerts – the ending is so different – far from what I was expecting – and it is simply terrific!
By Susan W. Smith, Editor, info@thousandislandslife.com
There are a number of links to the Lost Villages in past TI Life stories:
TI Life author Craig Stevenson has written several articles about the Lost Villages and the building of the St Lawrence Seaway: •https://tilife.org/BackIssues/Archive/tabid/393/articleType/AuthorView/authorID/657/Default.html
•https://thousandislandslife.com/author/craig-i-stevenson/
Ian Coristine shared his amazing photographs of Lake St. Lawrence, in his essay "Lost Villages - Another Perspective".
CBC Archives presents an excellent film, Let The Flooding Begin, recorded 70 years ago before the Lost Villages were flooded.
And, be sure to visit The Lost Villages Historical Society both online and during the 2025 Season.