On the Proper Use of Stars

by Dominique Fortier

A sparkling, inventive debut novel inspired by Sir John Franklin's grand — but ultimately failed — quest to discover the Northwest Passage and by his extraordinary wife, Lady Jane.

Originally published in Quebec as Du bon usage des etoiles, Dominique Fortier's debut On the Proper Use of Stars is as fresh and imaginative as anything published in recent years. It weaves together the voices of Francis Crozier, Sir John Franklin's second in command, who turns a sceptical eye on the grandiose ambitions and hubris of his leader, and of Lady Jane Franklin and her niece Sophia, both driven to uncommon actions by love and by frustration as months then years pass with no word from the expedition. Fortier skilfully accents the main narratives with overheard conversations and snippets from letters and documents that bring two entirely different worlds — the frozen Arctic and busy Victorian London — alive.

• ISBN10: 129961616X
• ISBN13: 9781299616165
• Publish Date: 1 January 2010
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 2 October 2013
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: McClelland & Stewart
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[brokentune]

On the Proper Use of Stars has been sitting on my shelf for two years and I was really excited when I finally was able to pick it up and read it. You see, I have been intrigued by the Franklin Expedition for quite some time.

Anyway, this is a fun read that tells the story of the expedition from the alternate points of view of Franklin's first officer and captain of the Terror, Francis Crozier and Lady Jane, Franklin's wife.

It's an interesting mix of perspectives: One describing the ships crew's life and their appreciation of Franklin. The other describing Franklin's personal life. The result is that we get a pretty good idea of all three characters, as well as detailed descriptions of the trip, the politics around it, the geographical knowledge (or lack of) and lot of fun historical bits - many of which are about tea.

Fortier managed to create a well researched story with lots of atmosphere, and lots of irony, and fun. The only problem I had, and this is entirely my own issue with historical fiction, is that for me really great historical fiction does not read like neither fiction nor non-fiction. There is a fine balance that makes me want to accept what is written without wanting to ask for sources or without questioning whether something really happened.

On the Proper Use of Stars did not quite manage this. Again, this is not necessarily a fault in the book, but probably more to do with my expectations.