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Hakapik . Yoanis Menge . 2016. L'Étang-du-nord : Les édition la Morue verte . 168 p, illustrated, hardcover. ISBN 978-2-924564-02-8 . CA$ 59.95.
This book review starts with a question: what do readers associate with the terms 'Canada' and 'seal hunt'? I would assume that two different sets of images now appear before the inner eye: the blood-lusty commercial seal hunt on the one hand, and the solemn Inuit seal hunt on the other. If this is the case, it would not be surprising as indeed the seal hunt has been subject to successful and highly effective image campaigns that have shaped the public's view on the matter.
It does equally not come as a surprise that life is slightly more complex than simple imagery and narratives and also the seal hunt cannot be depicted in a black and white manner. Which, of course, in the context of this book is...