After his parents' arrest, Dell is spirited across the border to Saskatchewan, Canada, by a family friend to avoid being placed in the state system.
The story is narrated by , who reflects from his sixties on the cataclysmic events of 1960 when he was fifteen. Canada Richard Ford pdf
The dual narrative—the 15-year-old experiencing the events and the 60-year-old reflecting on them—explores how individuals manage trauma and loss without becoming cynical. (PDF) Affective experientiality in Richard Ford's Canada After his parents' arrest, Dell is spirited across
In Canada, Dell works for Arthur Remlinger , a charismatic but dangerous American fugitive hiding from his own criminal past. Dell eventually becomes a witness and unwitting accomplice to further violence before finding a way to build a "normal" life in Winnipeg. Key Themes & Analysis (PDF) Affective experientiality in Richard Ford's Canada In
Academic analyses, such as those found on DiVA-Portal , argue that alienation is the novel's central undercurrent, especially as Dell becomes an "immigrant" in a world that feels foreign and isolating.