Super Short Summary

Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Englishman's Boy intertwines a third-person account of the Cypress Hills Massacre in 1873, a first-person narrative from one of its last survivors, and the manipulated retelling of these events in an early 20th-century film. The novel explores themes of civilization versus savagery and the power of storytelling in shaping culture, following the journey of a young man, known as the Englishman's Boy, who participates in the violent conflict and later recounts his memories to a screenwriter. The screenwriter’s disillusionment unfolds as he is forced to alter the story to serve a deceptive agenda. The book includes graphic depictions of violence and sexual assault.