It is, I suppose, decidedly unfair to compare the first novel of a young new writer with the acclaimed classic of a master storyteller, but Kevin Major's Hold Fast brought me so often into remembered contact with Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn that a comparison (or at least a referential glossing) became unavoidable. Such a comparison, in fact, tells us much about Major's technique and purpose and, lest the reader be apprehensive on this point, does nothing to devalue this young Newfoundland author's achievement.

Anyone who has read Huckleberry Finn cannot, for example, fail to see just how much alike Huck Finn and Michael (Major's protagonist) are. Both are physical and spiritual orphans treading the hard road to self-awareness; Michael, like Huck, is unsure of himself, stubborn ("pig-headed" Michael calls it), given to lying and to fits of self-pity and remorse; and even when a degree of self-awareness is attained there is always that shadow of doubt. How similar they are, and how close Major comes to achieving Twain's poignancy through his first-person naive narrator can be seen in a juxtaposition of the key (climactic) passages in the novels. Huck Finn, in that famous bout with his conscience [when he debates whether or not to do the "right thing" and alert the owner of Jim as to where the runaway slave can be found], comes to grips with his lying…. Michael, after having hitched a ride with an old man (in a chapter which is both amusing and forceful), and having deceived him outrageously, states: …

See, I can certainly screw up things for myself. I made a vow then and there that if there was any more lies that I'd have to tell then they'd only be enough to get us off the hook. That was all. Not a word more.

"They'd only be enough to get us off the hook"; how typically Huck Finn that is.

Apart from the thematic similarity, other Twainian characteristics abound: Michael's cousin Curtis is a perfect foil, another Tom Sawyer; the first-person narrative (especially the employment of a naive narrator) is full of subtle ironies; Major's use of Newfoundland dialect, like Twain's innovative use of the southern dialect, offers a sense of immediacy and a control of tone. Major, in fact, is at his best in his execution of dialect and dialogue.

Now, all this does not mean that Hold Fast is a derivative novel, that Major has simply imitated Twain. Far from it. Indeed, the comparison serves to show that the major theme of Huckleberry Finn is not sacrosanct, that it can be restated with fresh insights, that a new environment and age reveals new problems and new solutions, that the picaresque novel can still provide an exciting experience. The fact that Hold Fast, even though it reminds me so forcibly of Huckleberry Finn, absorbs my interest and abounds with originality means that it does succeed in its own right. (pp. 56-8)

[Hold Fast] has a multi-dimensional appeal: those who are not impressed by or interested in my Twainian-thematic approach may read it for its insights into youthful grief, modern-day rebellion, confused teenage values, adult-child conflicts, Newfoundland dialect and ways of life; or Major's frankness may be your interest—certainly his description of Michael's wet dream (a very controlled and realistic bit of writing) will give rise to discussion, even denunciation. Surely a novel which offers such a variety of issues should not be overlooked. Especially since, though not a masterpiece, Hold Fast is such a well-written novel. (p. 58)