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Carol Rose GoldenEagle (Cree/Dene) writes of community, family, ceremony and reconnecting. I always sink comfortably into books that make me feel like I’m visiting family, like I’m going back home to the rez. While much of my reading experience felt this way, there was no mistaking the immense amount of sexual and intergenerational trauma that took place within the novel and the depictions of sexual assault were very graphic and added an even more reprehensible layer to a character who used his role as a knowledge keeper and ceremony conductor to prey on members of his community.

The Narrows of Fear (Wapawikoscikanik) shows the way residential schools continued to negatively impact the lives of the family members forced to attend and the homophobia that was instilled into the grandfather after relentless sexual trauma and how it affected the relationship between him and his son. The way GoldenEagle worked through this issue in particular brought tears to my eyes.

In this novel the strength of Indigenous family bonds is limitless through so much trauma and that familial strength doesn’t always have to be borne through blood, the characters chosen family is just as important to their healing and reclamation of their culture and language (Cree is featured lovingly throughout.)

The taste of rez berries and wild meat after a long stint in the city, a vicious laugh with your family on the way to a pow wow, learning a new drum song, dancing in new regalia- The Narrows of Fear is full of so many tender moments and I’m happy I had the chance to read them.

I came away thinking of how Indigenous folks don’t have to be resilient, in the arms of our loved ones and in the thrums of a drum song, we can just be.

IG: thunderbirdwomanreads