Perspective

The memoir Shadows on the Koyukuk is told from a first person perspective. Though the memoir is written by Jim Rearden based on Sidney Huntington's recollections, it attempts to be truly Sidney Huntington's story from Sidney Huntington's point of view, without the interference of thoughts or commentary by Rearden. Rearden becomes a passive instrument, putting Sidney's thoughts, memories, and ideas on paper.

Sidney has seen many changes in the lives of the Alaskan people of the Koyukuk River valley. He seems to regret the past slipping away, though he has become part of a new world, shaped by the white incursion into Alaska. In fact, Sidney's father is part of that incursion, which shaped the new Alaska. As half white, half Athapaskan, Sidney's very existence straddles two worlds, and as time moves forward, culturally, Sidney finds himself straddling two worlds more and more. He sees the white world...