I feel like I was misled into believing that The Berry Pickers is a mystery novel. It is a mystery, for the characters in the novel, but for the reader there is no mystery as to what happened to a four-year-old Indigenous child that goes missing. I feel some disappointment with this novel because I love a good mystery, but The Berry Pickers turned out to be an emotional story about family and trauma.
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I enjoyed reading Cherie Dimaline’s VenCo so much that I decided to read another one of her novels (I am sure I will eventually work my way through all of them). I do not like Empire of Wild as much as I like VenCo, but it is still an interesting novel inspired by the Métis traditional story of the Rogarou, a werewolf-like creature that is used to inspire fear in disobedient people.
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There There is the debut novel of Tommy Orange. Orange is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, and he was born and raised in Oakland, California. There There is a story about the Urban Indian and is set primarily in Oakland. It is told from the different perspectives of twelve interconnected Native American characters who are all planning on attending the Big Oakland Powwow. I think Orange did a fantastic job of creating twelve distinct and compelling characters, and I appreciate being able to read about Indigenous life in an urban setting rather than a rural setting or on a reservation.
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The Circle is a sequel to both The Break and The Strangers. It is apparently the last of Vermette’s trilogy of novels that feature the same characters. SPOILER ALERT: Do not read any further it you plan on reading The Break and The Strangers.
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The Break is the first in a trilogy of novels by Katherena Vermette that are set in Winnipeg, Manitoba and feature a recurring cast of Métis characters. The Break is a good novel that tells a powerful story, but its frank depictions of sexual assault make this novel difficult to stomach at times.
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Bad Cree is the debut novel of nehiyaw (Cree) writer Jessica Johns. The novel has been shortlisted for 2024 CBC Canada Reads. The reviews I read described Bad Cree as creepy, haunting and terrifying. I have been in the mood for creepy books lately, so this novel sounded good to me. Although it has some interesting aspects to it, Bad Cree turned out to be an underwhelming story.
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Warrior Girl Unearthed is a sequel of sorts to Boulley’s debut novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter. Perhaps not quite as good as Firekeeper’s Daughter, nonetheless I still enjoyed reading Warrior Girl Unearthed and wish there had been more novel to read. I appreciate the opportunity to revisit the Ojibwe community on Sugar Island, Michigan, and the characters from the first novel. I hope Boulley writes more novels about them.
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Return of the Trickster is the last novel of the Trickster Trilogy, so do not read this review if you have not read Son of a Trickster and Trickster Drift yet.
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I spent the past week reading both Son of a Trickster and Trickster Drift, books one and two of Eden Robinson’s Trickster trilogy (book three is already out, I just have not bought a copy yet). Last year, I read Robinson’s Monkey Beach, which is serious and melancholy compared to the Trickster books. The Trickster books are surreal and somewhat bizarre (not in a derogatory way), and they are also humorous despite the tragic circumstances of the protagonist’s life. I really enjoyed reading both Son of a Trickster and Trickster Drift, and now Robinson is on my list of writers whose novels I will look out for.
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Five Little Indians is a novel about surviving a residential school, only to be faced with trying to survive in the world outside the residential school. It is a complicated story written in a rather simple style, which I think makes it somewhat easier to read. I cannot say I enjoyed reading Five Little Indians; who can enjoy reading about the abuse Indigenous children suffered at the hands of the Canadian government and the Catholic church? But I think it is important for books like Five Little Indians to be written and read so that white people understand the effects of their racism and cultural genocide on their victims.
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