The Dead Die Twice and This River Was Once a Road by Steve Skafte

Review by Laura Patterson

I was a kid who grew up in the woods, wandering the old hauling roads and railway beds, finding hidden family graveyards long forgotten, which is why Steve Skafte’s books have called to me. The Dead Die Twice: Abandoned Cemeteries of Nova Scotia and This River Was Once a Road: Abandoned Roads of Nova Scotia have been perfect reading material to get me through these dreary spring days and have allowed my thoughts to drift to the past on a journey of remembrance.

For a year, Skafte wandered the forest, cutting branches and breaking trail to discover long forgotten vestiges of the past which had been slowly overtaken by nature. In The Dead Die Twice: Abandoned Cemeteries of Nova Scotia, Skafte shows us, through photo and essay, forgotten cemeteries of Nova Scotia and how they hold clues to the rise and fall of communities, the change in landscape over the years, and even the hardships that early families endured.

If you scroll through my phone, you will see why I love The Dead Die Twice; I have countless black and white photos of old cemeteries with worn crumbling stones, sitting and waiting for someone to remember them. Skafte has brought that beautiful, melancholic feel you get from visiting these old cemeteries to page and I have enjoyed every word and every photo immensely. Skafte writes from the soul as he investigates the stones, learning their history and paying tribute to the lives that once were. The author shows his profound respect for the dead through the deep, evocative tales of this book.

This River Was Once a Road: Abandoned Roads of Nova Scotia serves as a reminder of how quickly things can change in this world around us. Once again Skafte treats us to haunting photos and poetic stories of the past, this time focusing on abandoned roads of Nova Scotia and the memories they lead to. For ten years Skafte researched and adventured to find these old roads to help preserve the memory of settlements lost to time. With GPS coordinates included, Skafte has given us everything we need to go on our own adventure into the past.

It is incredible when you stop and think about how many abandoned roads are out there all around us especially in rural Atlantic Canada. In my life I have seen a major highway change and numerous bridges removed and it always makes me sad to think that these structures can so easily be discarded to make way for something bigger and better. In This River Was Once a Road: Abandoned Roads of Nova Scotia, Skafte shows us what could happen to the roads we travel every day. There is great sadness in knowing that everything we see while driving to work could vanish in the next few decades and it is this feeling that the author expertly conveys through his writing.

There must always be a keeper of memories to remind us of where we came from and to show how progress has either helped or hindered us as a community. Steve Skafte has given us these records of the past so that we may remember all that came before us and hopefully take a more active role in the preservation and protection of sacred places in our own backyards. Skafte’s books are a real treasure and a beautiful addition to any library. With somber pictures and lyrical stories, these books will pull at your heartstrings, spark your curiosity, and motivate you to explore like you once did as a child.

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About the Author

Steve Skafte is a writer and photographer from Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, where he's lived all his life. Since he turned twenty in 2007, he’s kept and shared an uninterrupted daily journal online, with stories and adventures from all over the wilds of the province — and how it felt to be there. Much of his time is wrapped up in finding forgotten human history that has been left behind in the woods.

About the Reviewer

Laura Patterson is a Registered Acupuncturist and a Food Inspector from rural New Brunswick, where she lives with her husband and twin boys. When she's not busy with life's craziness, you'll find her with a warm drink in hand and her nose in a book.