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Summary
Summary
From award-winning Métis author Michelle Porter, a powerfully funning and moving story told not just by five generations of Métis women, but also by the land, the bison that surround them, and two utterly captivating dogs.
Carter is a young mother on a quest to find the true meaning of her heritage, which she only learned of in her teens. Allie is trying to make up for the lost years with her first born and to protect Carter from the hurt she herself suffered from her own mother. Lucie wants the granddaughter she's never met to help her get to her ancestors in the afterlife. And Geneviève is determined to conquer her demons--before the fire inside burns her up--with the help of the sister she lost but has never been without. Meanwhile, Mamé, in the afterlife, knows that all their stories began with her; she must find a way to cut herself from the last threads that keep her tethered to the living, just as they must find their own paths forward. And a young bison wants to understand why he keeps being moved and whether he should make a break for it and run for his life.
This extraordinary novel, told by a chorus of vividly realized, wise, confused, struggling characters attempting to make sense of this life and the next, heralds the arrival of a stunning new voice in literary fiction.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Memoirist Porter (Scratching River) imbues her well-crafted debut novel with her Métis culture's storytelling traditions. Among the many characters who narrate are the spirit of matriarch Mamé, who's having trouble getting settled in the afterlife; her octogenarian daughter Geneviéve, finally dealing with her alcoholism; Carter, Geneviéve's great-granddaughter, a young woman who was given up for adoption as a baby and is now coming to terms with being Métis and getting to know her biological mother and grandmother; Dee, a young bison who ignores her elders as she searches for the male bison that fathered her calf; and Bets, Geneviéve's car, who cares for Geneviéve as they drive to a rehab facility. The author juggles the myriad story lines with élan, touching on family relationships in the human and animal world, the pull of the living on the spirits of the dead, and the stories and songs passed down from generation to generation. This brings a web of interconnected voices to vivid life. (Nov.)
Booklist Review
Many points of view come together in this haunting, gorgeous tale that traces the roots of an indigenous Canadian family through several generations. Even bison, grasslands, and dogs get a chance to tell their stories. There's Mamé, who has passed on and is learning the contours of the afterlife; her daughter, Geneviève, who has checked into a rehab although she is close to death; and Carter, Geneviève's biological great-granddaughter, who's just discovering the family after escaping an abusive adoptive mother. There's also Dee, a young bison who loses her mother early in life and is trying to find her way alone. Métis traditions touch every character, especially Geneviève, who longs for her young life as a musician. The Métis dance reels accompanied by live music, and Geneviève's father was a master fiddler. She rediscovers her piano as she too approaches the afterlife. Porter has published memoir and poetry, and she plays with the beauty of language and the rhythm of music here. The pulsing heart of the Métis people underlies every short section, creating a patchwork of beads not unlike those the women make. Suggest to fans of Kellie Jo Ford's Crooked Hallelujah (2020) and Emily Habeck's Shark Heart (2023).
Library Journal Review
DEBUT Memoirist, poet, and scholar Porter's (creative writing and Métis literature, Memorial Univ.; Scratching River) searingly captivating debut novel takes shape around five Métis women on seemingly divergent paths. Told beautifully in each of the women's voices, as well as from the perspectives of bison, dogs, and the land they inhabit, each woman's journey comes to intersect with another's until the story is fully woven. Mamé is in the afterlife but remains tethered to this world until she can settle her ties to her girls left behind. Carter has just been asked by the grandmother she's never met if she'll go help kill her, and she thinks she's agreed. Geneviève decides maybe it's a good idea to get sober in what are likely her last months to live. Allie tries to hold on to everything so tightly she just might break it all, and she's the reason Carter didn't know she was Métis until she was a teenager and never met her Gramma. VERDICT Highly recommended, especially for fans of stories of generational relations and the connections between women. The tender, tough, funny, and heartbreaking voices of the characters will seep into readers' souls.--Julie Kane