The Castor’s Choice by Jeff Wilson

Reviewed by John Oughton

I began reading Jeff Wilson’s debut novel with high hopes. The timing couldn’t be better for a book with a professor of Canadian history as the protagonist, while the Orange Menace in the White House has launched a war of words and trade against our country, questioning our sovereignty and borders, and ranting about how we’d make the perfect 51st state. Wilson’s book has some excellent writing about Canadian history and identity, offering a theory about what makes our nation distinct. It was forged during the fur trade years by cooperation between men and women of indigenous, Métis, French and Anglo-Scottish heritages. Plus, The Castor’s Choice is billed as a comic novel about academics, and Lord knows we could all do with some good laughs right now, whether at professors, or life generally.

Speaking of comedy, there is something inherently funny about a nation whose national animal is neither lion or eagle, but rather an industrious rodent (Castor). As with popular music, Canada has punched above its weight in producing many talented comedians and writers with comedic flair.

So what happens in The Castor’s Choice, and how funny is it? Here’s your handy synopsis. John MacDonald, a young Canadian history professor at the U. of T. who comes to regret any association with his namesake, the first PM of Canada, is worried about his vocation. His academic papers are getting rejected, and he’s forced to share his prized office (once used by Lester Pearson!) with the funniest character in the book, a sassy Lesbian prof named Chitrangada Singh. Plus he has no love life, and he hates his absent father, a right-wing pundit and genuine SOB. MacDonald accepts an offer to teach at Queen’s U., and things start to improve. His dean encourages him to apply for a prestigious new, multimillion dollar research chair in Canadian history, and he meets – and soon mates – the girl of his dreams. Not everything is rosy, though; MacDonald’s beloved brother Richard, who lives in a group home for cognitively challenged men, is diagnosed with a serious illness.

I don’t want to give away much more of the plot as there is suspense around whether MacDonald will be shortlisted for the research chair, and some interesting twists concerning his father surface later, too. As for funniness, there are some amusing characters (former Maple Leafs great Wendel Clark has cameo appearances), and there is a great skit in which high school students act the roles of various PMs from history (from Sir John A. to Justin’s dad) to debate what was the most significant event in Canadian history. This, of course, takes place in an imaginary Tim Horton’s. The book didn’t make me laugh out loud the way Stephen Leacock or Thomas King do, but I did smile often.

So, for a debut novel, I’d say The Castor’ Choice is accomplished. Wilson’s prose is polished, sometimes lyrical: “Oak bookshelves lined the walls, except where the light streamed through leaded glass windows to coruscate languorously about his office.”

It has other strengths, and a couple of aspects the author might improve for his next work. It offers wonderful mini-lectures on the fur trade and other parts of Canada’s early history, and these alone make the book worth reading. The second win is the emotional depth of MacDonald’s character, and how he grows and changes through the story. The family issues are particularly moving.

As for the areas for improvement: first, a lot of the dialogue is in lecture form itself: long, complete sentences, and paragraphs with perfectly formed thoughts. This is somewhat to be expected from McDonald, who earns his living lecturing, but less so from his amour Elizabeth, a successful opera singer. Asked why she chose opera, she replies in part: “Being onstage is sensual, physical. It’s also ephemeral, like making love. You ascend into a world of beauty, entwined with and dependent on others, and them on you. When it’s finished, it’s gone.” Good perceptions, but not very naturalistic. Real people speak in fits and starts – sometimes repeating, or losing track… kind of like this sentence.

The second thing that bothered me somewhat – call me an old cynic who doesn’t read enough romance fiction – is that McDonald’s new romance with Elizabeth is free of the usual bumps and uncertainties that new relationships generally start with. In short order, he learns that this beautiful woman who loves him is not only an accomplished singer, but also an heiress with Borduas, Milne, and Jack Bush paintings on her wall, and a Porsche. She wants to pay for everything, and won’t brook any discussion of money or bills. How many struggling young, single male academics luck into meeting someone like that? It only happened to me a few times ;-).

So, my verdict: this is a promising start for Wilson: a big, generally well-written, and deeply Canadian work of fiction. I look forward to reading his next effort, and I hope many readers enjoy this one. Now… does anyone know a beautiful, talented, and very wealthy woman who’s looking to support a previously owned poet and reviewer?

No?

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About the Author

Jeff Wilson is a writer and a technology executive. His wife, children, and employers believe he is an eight-year-old trapped in a grown man’s body, shameless in his pursuit of humour. Even when writing about important stuff — Canadian identity, culture and history, love, loss, and the importance of music — there is always a cupped hand under his armpit. The Castor’s Choice is his debut novel. He resides in Toronto, Ontario.

Book Details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cormorant Books (April 19 2025)

• Language ‏ : ‎ English

• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 300 pages

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1770867813

• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1770867819