''Rockbound'' is a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

published in 1928 by Canadian writer

Frank Parker Day Frank Parker Day (9 May 1881 – 30 July 1950) was a Canadian athlete, academic and author. Since Day's father was a Methodist minister who moved to a new congregation every three years, Day spent his youth living throughout Nova Scotia, in Wa ...

Overview

The "Rockbound" mentioned in the title is name of small fictitious island inspired by East Ironbound, a remote island near Big Tancook Island off the coast of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. Surrounded by rich but dangerous fishing grounds, Rockbound is isolated by

storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...

fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus and is heavily influenc ...

and winter

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

. Two feuding families, the Jungs and the Krauses are dominated by the "king of Rockbound", the sternly righteous and rapacious Uriah Jung. When the young David Jung arrives on Rockbound to claim his

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

, a small share of the island, he is forced to confront an unforgiving, and controlled world. His conflicts—both internal and external—lock him in a struggle for survival. His enemies are many: sometimes the

ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

, sometimes his own rude behaviour, sometimes his own best friend, sometimes his secret love for the island teacher, but always his relatives and their ambitions for money and power. ''Rockbound'' paints a portrait of hard toil, cunning bitterness and family strife in the years leading to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The novel evokes the infinite power, the terror and the cruel beauty of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

including the terrifying sinking of a fishing

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

based on the loss of the schooner ''Sylvia Mosher'' on August 9, 1926, during the 1926 August Gales at

Sable Island Sable Island (, literally "island of sand") is a small, remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Sable Island is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, about southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, and about southeast of the clo ...

Inspiration

''Rockbound'' was based on the island of East Ironbound,

. Day spent the summer of 1926 on East Ironbound telling the families who welcomed him and shared their stories that he was working on a book about

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. East Ironbound became a thinly disguised Rockbound while Tancook became the novel's Outpost Island; Lunenburg became Liscomb; and Pearl Island became Barren Island. East Ironbound's two main families the Fincks and the Youngs inspired Rockbound's rival families the Krauses and the Jungs. Day's interpretation, distortion and exaggeration of community and personal lives on East Ironbound offended the residents of the island who felt betrayed. They published a letter in the Lunenburg and Halifax papers accusing Day of exploiting them for money.

Cultural impact

''Rockbound'' was one of the selected novels in the 2005 edition of ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Fre ...

'', where it was championed by Donna Morrissey. ''Rockbound'' eventually won the competition. ''Rockbound'' was adapted as a musical by Allen Cole, commissioned by Two Planks and a Passion Theatre Company in Nova Scotia and presented at the Ross Creek Centre in July 2009."Production History" (2009) ''Two Planks and a Passion Theatre''
/ref> ''Rockbound'' was first adapted as a full-length musical in 1998 by Whistling Fish Productions based in Mahone Bay, NS. The musical, which was publicly workshopped in Halifax, at Dalhousie University, was arranged by musician, Skip Beckwith, and featured songs and lyrics by Geoff Noble, with book by Susan Shillingford. The local cast of performers including noted actors Zach Fraser, Marguerite McNeil, and Elizabeth Richardson. Two stage productions ensued - -at the historical Capitol Theatre in Nelson, BC (2001), and the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney, BC (2003).

References

{{reflist 1928 Canadian novels Canadian historical novels Novels set in Nova Scotia Novels by Frank Parker Day