Indian Horse

This is an extremely well written and poignant story about a tough subject. This is a great book club pick, there will be a lot to discuss both technically and societally. This was the first Wagamese novel I've ever read, and definitely will not be the last.

** Minor spoilers for the structure of the story to follow **

I always find it fascinating when the conclusion of a book can recontextualize the entire story, especially when it's not a big mystery solved and the story already worked as it was. The middle section of this book, while certainly still a well told tale, felt slight and seemed like an odd story for Wagamese to tell, but by the time the book was over the realization of why it was told that way was very impactful.

From a technical perspective, the prose is really free-flowing and easy to read, and I love how it's divided into very short chapters, often 2-3 minutes long only. I was able to tear through this book and it always kept me wanting to just read over more chapter before putting it down.

I read this book to hopefully get a better understanding of residential schools and the impact it had and still is on the first nations community and it did not dissapoint.

Before you read this book be aware this book contains a lot of triggering content. Sexual abuse, racism, violence, bigotry, rape etc...

This book had me crying 10 pages in. I have always had empathy for the horror, abuse, genocide, and suffering the 1st nations community had to endure and this books really hit me hard.

This is a heart wrenching story of Saul Indian Horse who survived the residential school system, barley.

While a fictional account it is, from my understanding based on true accounts of the authors family and expierences.

The writing style feels so authenticate, visceral and real I could not put this story down. I Read it in one sitting. Its impossible not to feel for Saul and what he had to endure and highly reccommended.

Excellent book

This was a beautiful, heartbreaking story about a residential school survivor as he tries to escape a system and a society that wants nothing more than to strip him of his dignity. Wagamese does a great job of going beyond the intellectual horror that we know those schools inflicted, and presents the emotional scars that stay with someone long after they are removed from an abusive situation.

This book tells the important story of Residential Schools in recent Canadian history, and Richard Wagamese tells this story in a gripping and touching fashion. The author's writing style is succinct but it loses no emotion, making him an excellent story teller.
The book begins with the reader meeting Saul Indian Horse, an Ojibwe man in rehab. In order to find out where his life went wrong, he tells the story of his childhood, wherein he has a tragic family past and a difficult time adhering to a life in the Canadian Residential School system. At the school, he learns to play hockey and it becomes his escape from everyday horrors, but facing discrimination from non-Native hockey players makes him struggle to hold on to the sport he loves.
While reading this, I couldn't help but wonder why this book was not part of the school curriculum. It is an easy read, and its focus on hockey makes it very relatable for youth and particularly young men, and most importantly, it highlights a crucial piece of Canadian modern history and culture. Some parts may be uncomfortable to some, but it is crucial that as Canadians, we acknowledge the shameful parts of our history so that we can avoid repeating them in the future.
If you do not like hockey, there may be some chapters of this book that merit skimming, but over all, I strongly recommend this book.