Syndrie
This was a beautiful story that I'd say really focuses on the importance of history and the connections that can form when you share and remember people's stories and form a real community together—even if many of those stories aren't exactly happy ones.
A bit more character driven than plot driven, I'd say this is a good pick for anybody who tends to enjoy books that are more on the literary fiction side of things. With smooth prose that makes it very easy for the reader to slide right into the story, this book was a delight to read from beginning to end—despite some of the more heavy subject matter regarding racism and girls who have mysteriously gone missing without a trace. And even though there were some spiritual elements in the form of ghostly ancestors (or at least something akin to ghosts), the story still felt extremely down to earth and the spiritual elements felt perfectly in place with the Native American ancestry of the girl who connected with said ghosts the most.
If I had to give one piece of advice to readers looking to pick up this book, it would be to maybe keep a notepad handy nearby as there are a lot of characters in this one! Featuring POV's from five different women, there's quite a few names to keep up with between each of them, their families, and the assorted people they know around town. Having three of these women be related to each other—daughter, mother, and (great) aunt—did help ease the burden of keeping track of everybody though! And the way their stories all entwined by the end of the book really made for a satisfying ending—none of the POV's felt like they were out of place and all felt very necessary to be able to tell the entire story.
So if you're looking for a story that explores grief, ancestral trauma, and the sense of community while also addressing the underlying issues behind the way indigenous people have been historically treated in America, then I highly recommend you pick this one up!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Aunt Lute Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
This was a beautiful story that I'd say really focuses on the importance of history and the connections that can form when you share and remember people's stories and form a real community together—even if many of those stories aren't exactly happy ones.
A bit more character driven than plot driven, I'd say this is a good pick for anybody who tends to enjoy books that are more on the literary fiction side of things. With smooth prose that makes it very easy for the reader to slide right into the story, this book was a delight to read from beginning to end—despite some of the more heavy subject matter regarding racism and girls who have mysteriously gone missing without a trace. And even though there were some spiritual elements in the form of ghostly ancestors (or at least something akin to ghosts), the story still felt extremely down to earth and the spiritual elements felt perfectly in place with the Native American ancestry of the girl who connected with said ghosts the most.
If I had to give one piece of advice to readers looking to pick up this book, it would be to maybe keep a notepad handy nearby as there are a lot of characters in this one! Featuring POV's from five different women, there's quite a few names to keep up with between each of them, their families, and the assorted people they know around town. Having three of these women be related to each other—daughter, mother, and (great) aunt—did help ease the burden of keeping track of everybody though! And the way their stories all entwined by the end of the book really made for a satisfying ending—none of the POV's felt like they were out of place and all felt very necessary to be able to tell the entire story.
So if you're looking for a story that explores grief, ancestral trauma, and the sense of community while also addressing the underlying issues behind the way indigenous people have been historically treated in America, then I highly recommend you pick this one up!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Aunt Lute Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)