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Ducks
Two Years in the Oil Sands
436 pages
A stark, deeply empathetic portrait of survival and complicity in a vast, isolating industrial landscape.
What it feels like
Reading this graphic memoir feels like standing in the shadow of colossal machinery in the freezing cold, surrounded by people yet profoundly alone. The pacing is steady and deliberate, mirroring the grueling, repetitive nature of camp life and the slow, insidious creep of trauma. The deceptively simple, expressive cartooning contrasts sharply with the heavy, claustrophobic mood of a hyper-masculine, isolated environment. The narrative voice is incredibly empathetic, refusing to paint anyone as a simple villain, which makes the exploration of complicity and survival all the more devastating. It is a deeply humanizing experience that will resonate with readers who appreciate nuanced, unflinching memoirs about the intersections of capitalism, gender, and the quiet, enduring scars of simply trying to make a living.
- Mood
- isolated
- stark
- claustrophobic
- heavy
- Tone
- reflective
- empathetic
- unflinching
- wry
- melancholic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the human cost of capitalism · gender dynamics in male-dominated spaces · survival and trauma · complicity and guilt · isolation and loneliness
- The writing
- The dialogue is naturalistic and sparse, paired with expressive, deceptively simple cartooning that captures both vast industrial landscapes and intimate human exhaustion.
- The arc
- The journey moves from naive determination to profound isolation and trauma, ending in a complex, lingering reckoning with survival and complicity.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate deeply human, nuanced memoirs that tackle systemic issues through a deeply personal, empathetic lens.
Content notes
- sexual harassment
- sexual assault
- misogyny
- workplace trauma
- mental health struggles
About the book
Arriving in Fort McMurray, Katie finds work in the lucrative camps owned and operated by the world's largest oil companies. As one of the few women among thousands of men, the culture shock is palpable. It does not hit home until she moves to a spartan, isolated worksite for higher pay. Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet never discussed. For young Katie, her wounds may never heal.
Beaton's natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, Northern Lights, and Rocky Mountains. Her first full length graphic narrative, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people.
Description from Open Library.
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