Northern Light:
The Enduring Mystery of Tom Thomson
and the Woman Who Loved Him
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by Roy MacGregor
Random House, Toronto, 2010
416 pp., illus., $34.95 hardcover
Much has been written about the artist Tom Thomson, yet most of it leaves the feeling that something is missing. In Northern Light, Roy MacGregor paints a fuller picture of the man, ranging from Thomson’s idyllic childhood — growing up in a well-to-do family in rural Ontario &mdash to his blossoming as an outdoorsman and full-time artist.
Readers learn of Thomson’s friends, some of whom formed the Group of Seven, and his romantic interests — particularly Winnie Trainor, a distant relative of the author. Trainor is described as the woman who loved Thomson, and she may have carried his child.
The book includes a list of personalities that highlights the key players in Thomson’s life, as well as maps that show the towns and lakes he frequented and the spot where his body was found. His death at the age of thirty-nine was noted as an accidental drowning, but there has been speculation that it was a murder. Adding to the mystery is uncertainty regarding the final location of his remains.
MacGregor examines Thomson’s life and death via research, interviews, and forensic science, successfully resolving some of the mysteries. However, with more than ninety years having passed since Thomson’s death, MacGregor and his readers are left with some questions.
Nonetheless, from its poetic prologue to the last page, Northern Light delivers it all: romance, mystery, and a possible murder.
— Beverley Tallon (Read bio)
Beverley Tallon is a freelance writer and the former Assistant Editor for Canada's History.