Had I not read the synopsis before beginning this experimental novel, I would have had no idea what was happening. The prose is beautiful, and the author touches on the topics of colonization, land loss, climate change, and forced relocation in new and inovative ways. The format just made it impossible to truly feel immersed in the author's world.

This was an exquisitely crafted piece of writing!

The novel is an exploration of womanhood in indigenous families, set in a re-imagined world where Vancouver Island and Aotearoa are next to one another. The author envisions a shared past between the two sides of her own identity: Māori and Coastal Salish. It explores feelings of loss and incompleteness in a post-colonial world, where people have been pushed out of their lands or confined to reservations, where European vacationers visit ancestral grounds with more ease than those indigenous to the land, and where the ghosts of the past are ever present; it poses the question: is it possible to return home?

Rather than following one central storyline, it felt like the pages of several short stories and poems were scattered into the wind. It had a haunting effect, like echoes from the blue-light ghosts that the author scattered throughout the narratives. Everything, from the most mystical chapters to the most down-to-earth, had a tinge of these echoes of the past, inter-generational trauma and grief passed down from grandmothers to mothers to daughters. The different stories had different styles of prose, and some of the more lyrical ones really swept me away. The poetry woven in was a beautiful touch as well.

I would note that I first read through this on my e-reader, and the formatting made it hard to follow. I decided to download a pdf version onto my computer to see if that made more sense and it absolutely did! In the pdf, the chapter and section breaks were much clearer, making it much easier to follow the book's non-linear flow. I think this is probably the type of book that will work best in physical printed form than other mediums, so I'd recommend that readers pick up a physical copy once its available.

4.25 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and House of Anansi Press for this ARC to read and review.