SASKATOON — The search for justice might be enduring but Pine Bugs and .303s demonstrates what is possible when people unite and fight for justice, states promotional material for Saskatoon author Ernie Louttit’s debut novel.
Louttit says his grandfather, who died in the Second World War, is his inspiration for the novel. The Northern Ontario village he grew up in also figures prominently. He also draws on his own experiences as a soldier.
“I was named after my grandfather and my first knowledge of him came when I saw his name carved in a tree trunk used as a cenotaph in the River View Cemetery in Oba. My mother told me he was my grandfather and I was named after him, though not a lot more,” Louttit says.
Over the years he learned bits and pieces about his grandfather, and researched life in wartime. The novel grew from imagining what his grandfather’s life would have been like if he had returned.
In Pine Bugs and .303s, two soldiers united by conflict return to their small northern Ontario town after the Second World War has ended, to try and restart their lives. But for Elmer Wabason, a Cree man, and Gilbert Bertrand, a white man, this won’t be so easy. Maintaining their friendships and families forces a familiar challenge but also brings new obstacles they never anticipated.
The book is described fast-paced story about deep bonds and deeper desperation. Elmer, Gilbert and their families will have to endure disaster, deceit, racism, crime and corruption to overcome the odds and secure the future of their town.
Louttit says he found the analology of “pine bugs,” which he describes “an ugly bug with a powerful bit,” to villains in this book a powerful one. He says, bugs, who thrive after forest fires, compare to those who took advantage of a war and a forest fire, to further their own goals.
Ernie Louttit, a member of the Missanabie Cree First Nation in Northern Ontario, is a retired soldier and police officer, and has written three books, Indian Ernie: Perspectives on Leadership and Policing, More Indian Ernie, Insights from the Streets and The Unexpected Cop: Indian Ernie on a Life of Leadership. He is a winner of the Saskatchewan Book Award in 2014 and the Reveal Indigenous Arts Award in 2017. Pine Bugs and 303's is his debut novel.
“Louttit’s taut narrative, and plot twists, masterfully build outrage and tension for the reader—like a .303 in the hands of a nefarious foe, or a pine bug crawling up one’s neck. A great read you won’t want to put down,” comments David Giuliano, author, The Undertaking of Billy Buffone.
Louttit says he hopes readers, can say, “That was a good story.”
“I like to learn things when I read but I don’t necessarily like to be taught. I hope the readers feel the same when they are finished; they learned a few things while reading Pine Bugs and .303s and at the same time enjoyed the story.”
Published by , Pine Bugs and .303s is being launched Friday, Oct. 21 at , 3130 8th Street East, Saskatoon at 7 p.m. The launch will be hosted live in the Travel Alcove of McNally Robinson Booksellers, Saskatoon and also available as a simultaneous YouTube stream with live chat.
Copies of Pine Bugs and .303s can be purchased at the launch, online at McNally Robinson, your favourite online retailer, or independent bookseller.
