In Across the Steel River, a fine first novel by Ted Stenhouse, adolescent Will Samson and his native friend Arthur discover a local native war hero, Yellowfly, beaten almost to death just outside their Prairie town. It’s 1952, and most white adults seem to think Yellowfly “had it coming to him” because he “flaunted” his Victoria Cross around town. Will adopts Yellowfly’s cause to prove his friendship to Arthur and to show his town he won’t “accept meanness.”

Like Huck Finn, Will starts with a perverted conscience, feeling guilty, especially around his father, for choosing a native best friend. Arthur too is complicated, blaming Will for the cruelty shown his people by other whites, even while Will is doing his utmost to eradicate his racist upbringing.

In his first-person narrator, Will, Stenhouse creates a complex and realistic portrait of a boy of his age and era. My surprise was that, in a book that practically trumpets its warnings against racism, the native character didn’t have more of a role. The project that the friends embark on together – finding the culprits who beat Yellowfly – is accomplished by Will almost single-handedly. Granted, the reparation had to come from whites, but Arthur need not have faded out of the second half of the novel.

Stenhouse cleverly weaves in Colonel Macleod’s manipulative 1877 treaty with Chief Crowfoot as a motif symbolizing the broken trust between First Nations and whites in Canada. While Stenhouse doesn’t stint on interesting details, his style is unremarkable. Yet the combination of strong characterization and ideas culminates in a conclusion that is undeniably moving.