Etienne, an Arcadian carpenter in Eighteenth Century Nova Scotia, loses his job in the shipyard due to his nemesis, the overbearing and violent Thomas Cudgel. Though not a very successful carpenter, (He was called Fatfingers because his digits were permanently swollen from misplaced hammer-blows.) the a traumatic loss of his job is only the first event in a downward spiral that leaves him homeless and stateless, a refugee in a world where refugees are barely human, and charity is a virtue best p ... more »

Etienne, an Arcadian carpenter in Eighteenth Century Nova Scotia, loses his job in the shipyard due to his nemesis, the overbearing and violent Thomas Cudgel. Though not a very successful carpenter, (He was called Fatfingers because his digits were permanently swollen from misplaced hammer-blows.) the a traumatic loss of his job is only the first event in a downward spiral that leaves him homeless and stateless, a refugee in a world where refugees are barely human, and charity is a virtue best practiced on the well-established.
     The English have taken over the Arcadian peninsula, and in order to insure a loyal power base, decide to deport the entire French-speaking population. This primitive attempt at ethnic cleansing and social engineering leaves the Acadians at the not-so-tender mercy of the other English colonies, who find them burdensome. Unwelcome everywhere, and purposely scattered across the world to destroy their cultural existence, they cannot find a home.
Etienne gets drunk in Haiti and trades his carpentry tools for a sack of onions and garlic.
     After various unfortunate experiences, Etienne finds himself in New Orleans where he opens a restaurant. He discovers he has talents with the whisk and spatula he never realized with the cruel hammer, and his fingers soon return to normal size.  Less