3.5*
Set on a reserve in the Okanagan Valley in 1968, this novel is about the coming of age of Lewis, a young Indigenous boy. He lives with his mother and extended family. Over the course of the summer his missing brother returns home, his mother manages to update her home with indoor plumbing among other things.

Featured prominently on our Canadian Authors display. Customers really connected with the characters and writing. Thanks for the review copy.

A beautifully written coming age literary fiction novel about Lewis, a young Indigenous boy growing up on the Rez, navigating family, first love, colonialism and his own complicated identity. I enjoyed this one but found parts a bit slower than others and have mixed feelings about Lewis's first sexual experience (hint it was not consensual and the female was the aggressor). Recommended for fans of authors like Billy-Ray Belcourt. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.
I did not know what to expect because I did not read his first book. But the author does a great job of connecting Indigenous and white lives, highlighting the real life of many Indigenous people. He also does a good job of creating a connection between the reader and the characters, having you consider “how would I feel.”
Life on the reserve was and is different than life off.