“Secrets are like pods of the milkweed. They always burst open”... Red Sky in the Morning

The old rocking chair faced east looking down the Qu’ Appelle valley in Saskatchewan, Canada. God knows where its journey began, but when the Cree Indian woman found it abandoned in the plains grass, she knew it was special and dragged it back to her tipi. Her young daughter, Red Sky in the Morning, was the only one that heard the chair’s past in the creaking wood.

When the Indian Act of 1876 forced this First Nations family onto reserved land, the chair traveled with them and continued to collect memories. It soothed the pain of the uprooted people and saw the hardships of life on the reserve. It sat in wait for ten-year-old Red Sky to return after she was forced to attend the Canadian government’s religious-run school. The school was a harsh environment. The children were treated as curs in need of retraining and received little kindness and suffered hard work and long hours controlled by bells and regimented routine.

Eighty years later, Red Sky in the Morning, now known as Elinor, sits in the old rocker, still facing east to the rising sun. She still lives on the reserve trading life in a tipi for a rickety wooden house that to Elinor is paradise. She is ninety-years-old and harboring a seventy-five-year-old deeply buried secret that began the day she was raped by a school employee. A secret she did not share with her beloved husband, Joseph, and after his murder, with her daughter, Louise, or her granddaughter Alice.

The secret - a daughter was the product of the rape. A child she named Bright Eyes. A child stolen from her arms moments after birth by the nuns and replaced with a grainy black and white picture. Time is now short. She wonders why she waited so long to take action on something that has pained her every day of her long life. The secret must be shared so she can die in peace. She must find her first born child and she will need the help of Louise and Alice.

Life has not been easy for Elinor but she is a survivor with a feisty spirit and an insane determination to live her life on her own terms. Her teenage daughter, Louise, mysteriously disappeared from the reserve, leaving a heart-broken Elinor to wonder for years if she was responsible for driving her away? Now years later, living in separate worlds but reconciled, the mother and daughter have a guarded relationship.

Louise's reason for leaving never discussed between them. Louise, strong-willed like her mother, has done well with her life but she has found that she will never be fully accepted in the white man's world. In the white man's world, this highly educated and ambitious lawyer finds herself facing much more than a glass ceiling. Like her mother, Louise harbors a deeply held secret. And like her mother, she found a loving husband; a white man with a heart of gold who does not know her darkest secret. Their union producing a great love in Elinor's life, her granddaughter, Alice.

Alice has a secret she shares with the reader. It's 1968 and she is a gay Chee half-breed. A toxic mix in a mixed-up wartime world. She is not sure her family will accept her if they knew and she knew the world at-large would not accept a gay school teacher. She would lose her job.

Elinor, slight in stature, slender as a dry stalk of grass, and in frail health holds center stage in the novel. There is no doubt who is in charge during the search for Bright Eyes; the need for the search never in question but clues are few and Elinor takes matters in her own hands. Did the trio ever find Bright Eyes? I am not going to tell.

I will tell you I will never hear the wind, pluck a flower, listen to rain, or watch a tree sway in the wind the same again. Tears in Grass is exquisite in its simple prose and symbolism. It is a simple story with deep resonance to themes that plague us all; family relationships, societal strains, personal secrets that fester and affect our lives. It is a story balanced with the beauty of the natural world and the belief that what comes next after death should not be feared.

The book may not appeal to all. It is slow paced. Not in a hurry or filled with heady suspense. I savored the quiet moments of reflection with Elinor as I sat in my own rocking chair, facing my own scenic world, and listened to my babbling stream. Yes, Elinor there is no place like home.
The novel is filled with magic and as much unreal as real. A talking stuffed buffalo? Even the description of evil suffered by Elinor is handled in a manner much like childbirth itself. Painful beyond belief but instantly forgotten when you look into the eyes of a newborn. As the last chapter in Elinor's life closes, you will be satisfied.

Thank you Netgalley and Dundurn press for the advanced reading copy. Sorry it took me so long.

This book tells a tale sadly more common than many will admit. So many tragic things happened to our First Nations/Native American people, and still happens to a lesser extent today. The tale of Elinor and her search for her child broke my heart. Tragic, beautiful, and learning all about the characters was fascinating.

Thank you so much for being willing to grant me access to this book. Unfortunately, life obligations have prevented me from doing so. If my schedule clears, I plan on reviewing this in the future and will post the review on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you.

In 1968, Saskatchewan Cree artist Elinor is 90 years old. Although her daughter and family live nearby, she prefers to live alone in her rustic cabin, communing with nature and creating artwork based on the flora and fauna surrounding her. At 90, Elinor is sometimes confused about the details of her life, but there is one memory she will never forget – a child that was stolen from her many decades before.

As a young girl, Elinor was forced into a residential school, where she was raped by an older man in a position of power. The resulting child was taken away from her and put up for adoption in another province, where Elinor would never see her again – but now, at the end of her life, she is determined to find the daughter she lost. Making her search more difficult is the fact that the daughter she raised knows nothing about her missing sister.

Elinor feels that her family has forgotten their Aboriginal heritage, and her thoughts explore a history of trauma, racism and ultimately survival. As she grows weaker in body, Elinor finds the strength and courage to open up about her past to a family that is living firmly in the present, neglecting their traditional beliefs. Elinor’s desire is to bring her entire family home, to embrace the Cree beliefs that have been forgotten by so many.

Meanwhile, Elinor’s daughter Louise and granddaughter Alice have secrets of their own. They find it difficult to communicate with each other, but are inspired by Elinor’s willingness to share her past before it is too late. Although the author is clearly trying to draw parallels between these three women through their traumatic secrets, the whole thing is wrapped up a bit too neatly. However, I don’t think that matters because I see this more as a parable for indigenous women in Canada today – Elinor is symbolic of all women of her circumstances, and this novel shows how their past affects their descendants for many generations to come.

This is a story of mothers and daughters, and of the continued discrimination towards women – Aboriginal women in particular. Louise ran away from her home on the reservation and turned away from her roots, and Alice must hide her relationship because of her sexuality. Their shared secrets create connections between the three generations, as well as exploring the complex issues between the women. Elinor’s story is emotional and heartfelt, yet it never slips into the realm of melodrama – it is told in a clear, unsparing voice. The novel is well-written, with a strong message, giving a voice to the many women who were treated in the same way as Elinor in our shared past.

I received this book from Dundurn Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed, found myself going through the story quicker than i realized. I would read more from Lynn Archer and look forward to doing do