Black Dirt, Bright Stars
Following his award-winning novel Power & Light, Weaver’s sequel Black Dirt, Bright Stars finds the close-knit Haugen family at their low point. They have lost their quest for justice within the law. The have lost their farm home to arson by powerful enemies. “Now we have work,” Jenny says. Not yet twenty, the youngest of four siblings, she takes a position as a typist at a county courthouse. There her eyes are opened as to “how the world works.” With calculation, independence, and tenacity, she carves out agency and power for herself and her family. Never to underestimated, and never divided in their hard-edged love for one another, the Haugens persist and thrive. However, when an opportunity for revenge on an enemy turns tragic, she chooses secrecy over honesty. “We will never speak of this again,” she tells her family, “not even to each other.” The years pass, and at the Haugens’ pinnacle of success the truth catches up with them–and threatens everything.
In October, an oversized envelope from Skye arrived at the house. There was a brief note from her sister, Dagmar (not much new on the farm). Inside was another letter, sealed, and postmarked from Winnipeg, Manitoba. The penmanship was fine, rounded cursive, certainly a woman’s hand.
Dear Miss Jenny Haugen:
I am writing to you on behalf of my son, William Jamison. I regret to tell you that his plane was lost in the air Battle of Britain on August 17, 1940. Neither he nor his plane was found.
I am his mother, Evelyn. He had spoken fondly of you, “the American girl on the train,” and said you and he had spent some “brief but wonderful” times together. You must have meant a good deal to him because, following his instructions, I am enclosing a checque for half of his military death benefit. I do not know the full extent of your relationship with my son, but I have always trusted his judgement.
As you might expect, our family is broken by our loss. Further communication with you might well only complicate or increase our grief, so it’s probably best to leave things here, at least for now. My husband and I trust that you will use this money wisely and in a manner which would honour the memory of our son.
Very sincerely,
Mrs. Wallace (Evelyn) Jamison
Jenny, rocking a fussy little John, had hoped to be presentable when Arthur returned from work.
“Has something happened?” he said straightaway.
“It’s been a long day with John.”
“Why, you’re crying.”
“I’m very sorry.”
“No need to feel bad,” Arthur said, and came forward to take the baby. “They say it can happen after childbirth. Some women get the blues.”
Author Commentary
I’ve always been fascinated by the arc of family. That is, how a family grows and changes over time. Some families peter out. Others become large and powerful. That’s the meta-story of the “Haugen Saga.” In Power & Light, the Haugens are recent immigrants from Norway. As they struggle to get their footing in the New World of the America, a crime against them threatens to destroy the family. However, their inherent tenacity comes to the fore. By force of will, they are survivors. I continue the Haugens’ path forward in Black Dirt, Bright Stars. The sequel finds them, in the middle decades of the 20th century, gathering agency and power. A key part of Black Dirt, Bright Stars is the passage of time. Spanning from 1939-1980, the narrative intersects with several iconic historical events: WW2, the “Red Scare” of the early 1960s, Civil Rights unrest, and more. The Haugen family, with its own conflicts, is not immune to the press of real history.
