Paul Theroux Finds a Different Canada in Newfoundland

In his new travelogue, Paul Theroux recounts a journey to Newfoundland, an island he had long wanted to visit. He crossed the 110-mile channel from North Sydney, Cape Breton, to Port-aux-Basques on the ferry Ala'suinu, which means "Traveler" in Mi'kmaw.

The overnight crossing offered no berths, so Theroux paid $23 for a reclining seat. He dozed among children, dogs, and snoring passengers. The ferry carried not just tourists but truckers, students, and returning residents-farmers, fishermen, and nurses.

In Port-aux-Basques, hotel owner Cathy Lomond told him the town lost 130 houses to Hurricane Fiona in September 2022, the worst tropical storm ever to hit Canada. "But we're used to storms," she said. "We got through it."

Lomond, a passionate hunter, served him slow-cooked moose in gravy. Newfoundland, she insisted, has a distinct culture shaped by isolation and hardship. The province joined Canada in 1949 and has its own folklore, accents, and cooking-and no snakes except the harmless garter snake.