NOVEL: VICORY | James Case

Set in Newfoundland in the mid-19th century, Vicory tells the story of a young man grappling with the piousness of the house into which he is born, his close relationship with his uncle who struggles with mental trauma, and Phoebe Jane, his feisty sister who runs the household with remarkable, innate skill - tending to her siblings while her mother is preoccupied with matters of faith.

The grandson of Ananias, Vicory, provides the first-person perspective of a boy struggling to be a man, while observing and interpreting his father James and Uncle John. Through Vicory, I wanted to evoke the harshness of their lives, yet explore moments of compassion and tenderness, stemming from the all-to-common tragedies which touch their very existence.

The story begins with a flash forward incident of Vicory docking in Liverpool after a trans-Atlantic voyage on the schooner, Trusty. In the scene, Vicory is casually observing the migrational and commercial madness that is Waterloo Dock in the late 19th century when he sees, or thinks he has seen, his beloved uncle below in the mayhem.

The reader is led to question: “Why is his uncle missing?” and this question is revisited throughout the novel, by means of returning to Vicory’s quest in Liverpool and in London.

Over the course of the central story, we are taken on three successive voyages to the Labrador coast, a wild and forbidding frontier, yet, a vital aspect of Newfoundland heritage. We are introduced to the technical innovation of the day, a “fish-killin’-machine” that promises abundance - more specifically, the prospect of overcoming the financial debt that enslaves the fisherfolk. The machine, a prototype cod trap, takes on anthropomorphic qualities as the novel progresses, and ultimately is accused of murder.

The tragic loss of the Huntsman in a horrific storm while prosecuting the seal fishery results in the death of the fathers of Vicory’s closest friends, cousins Mark and Ed Parsons. Facing an existential threat, the three young men join with Vicory’s father and uncle to purchase a bully boat in order to travel to Labrador each summer season to chase the lucrative northern cod.

Through the vehicle of a near-fatal accident (second storyline) Vicory discovers that his close friend Tommy is, in fact, his cousin. His estranged aunt’s connection to him has been expunged by his family because of the child she bore out of wedlock. But through his uncle’s intervention, Tommy is taken on as a hand for the Labrador expeditions.

It is the bond between Vicory and his sister, Phoebe Jane, that is at the heart of the story’s plot. Her tragic death while on expedition is the trigger by which Uncle John’s psychosis overtakes him.

The backstory features Newfoundland’s strong ties with the motherland: England. Vicory finds himself in London, ostensibly for reasons having to do with furthering his education, but in reality, he is on a hopeless search mission.

In the end, Vicory, Tommy, Mark and Ed all have to come to grips with their collective future.

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Advance Praise for Vicory

Vicory didn’t win the Guernica Prize for Canadian Literary Fiction, but placing in the top five was such a boost for this flailing author’s ego.

Here's some of the buzz surrounding my second effort.

The judge of the Guernica Prize was the award-winning novelist Leslie Shimotakahara, author of The Breakwater and Sisters of the Spruce. Here’s what she had to say:

“Meticulously researched and vividly written, Vicory brings to life a remote seafaring community in nineteenth-century Newfoundland, where eccentric characters abound — most notably, the young male narrator and his enigmatic Uncle John. An intriguing story of adventure and family bonds.”

Jenn Thornhill Verma, Pulitzer Ocean Reporting Network Fellow at The Globe and Mail, was so full of praise for my first novel Ananias that I contacted her to have an early read of Vicory. Jenn’s book Cod Collapse should sit on the shelf of every Newfoundlander. Despite the non-fiction label, her book captures so many heart-wrenching stories that it is as endearing as it is informative. Here’s what Jenn had to say about Vicory:

"From historical whaling records and shipping logs to family genealogy and his own experience of trap fishing, James Case brings a vanishing maritime world to vivid life. His storytelling catches readers like the cod traps and whaling tales at the heart of this novel—immersing them in fishing families navigating between Newfoundland's isolated coves and Labrador's harsh seasonal stations, where loss and hope collide in meticulous historical detail and wrenching family drama.

Case illuminates a pivotal moment in fishing history—when the cod trap revolutionized the Labrador fishery—while weaving in the fading world of whaling through unforgettable characters who are forced to reconcile what haunts them.

Vicory demonstrates Case's gift for grounding historical fiction in documented fact while bringing to life the grief, hope and resilience of human stories that exist between official records."

Russel Wangersky was the editor of The Telegram for almost two decades. During that time he published two short story collections and a memoir of his twenty years as a volunteer firefighter I Torbay. His 2011 novel The Glass Harmonica won the 2011 Winterset Award. His 2012 short story collection Whirl Away was a shortlisted nominee for the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the 2013 Thomas Head Raddall Award. Here’s what Russell had to say about Vicory:

”Wonderful piece of work. Just wonderful. Vicory grabs you immediately and tucks you tightly into a comfortable, complete world in smalltown Newfoundland. Its deft pacing and well-defined characters are instantly people you know and understand — and can't help but like. Disquiet, however, leaks in quickly around all the dark edges, and soon you are pulled forward to something you can't yet see, but equally can't help but dread.

Here it comes — and you're helpless to escape."

When wrote my first novel, Ananias, I was new at the game and had so much to learn. When I needed guidance and a major first edit, Paul Butler stepped up to the plate. And, oh my, I can’t begin to tell you the value of his input! Some of you may already know Paul as he is the prolific author of several critically acclaimed novels including Titanic Ashes, Cupids, Hero, 1892, NaGeira, Easton’s Gold, Easton, Stoker’s Shadow, The Widow’s Fire and Mina’s Child. His work has appeared on the judges’ lists for Canada Reads, the Relit Longlist for three consecutive years, and he was a winner in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters Awards four times between 2003 and 2008. His latest novel is another set in Newfoundland – The Governor’s Rapture. Paul took time from his busy schedule to read an advance copy of Vicory:

“In Vic’s coming of age story which takes place on both sides of the Atlantic, James Case magically weaves a sense of the sea’s poetry with a truly impressive social history. There is warmth and comradeship in Case’s characters. But Vicory is no eulogy to times past. Secrecy, denial, and the repressive nature of family piety hover like shadows over Vic as he tries to find his lost Uncle John. Moving, memorable, and beautifully written.”

JAMES CASE