"Grief is a cruel and sneaky bastard. You love a person and then they're gone. Past tense. You forget them for an hour, a day, a week. How is that even possible? It happens because memories are fickle; they can fade."
I went into this powerful story knowing nothing but it was as impactful as The Hate U Give. That's the perfect description because this entire book shook my soul to its core. I cried so much for Daunis and her loved ones. I'll never stop recommending this book for everyone to read. It forced me to acknowledge just how little I know about Indigenous people, and I will do better with my own education going forward.
"Lust doesn't last, but herpes is forever."
My all time favorite quote from this book! I HAD to include it to show that this book isn't solely about serious, painful things. It has humor and light amidst the darkness.
Now this story begins in 2004 in Michigan with Daunis toeing the line between her two worlds: her father's Indigenous side and her mother's white side. She's a biracial woman, who never knows how to truly satisfy both even into adulthood. Daunis is also suffering from her Uncle's recent death (believed overdose) and her grandmother's stroke.
All bad things come in three, and Daunis is certainly not wrong in this regard.
I think the reason this book hit me so intensely is partly because Daunis reminded me of myself. Now I'm not Indigenous, so I can never comprehend that or her mixed heritage, but her torn emotions (both good and bad) felt very akin to some of my own feelings in my personal life. Her wit, joy, sadness. Her rage for a better reality than what she's given. Her love for everyone even when they don't deserve it. And her pain for her Indigenous community. She's so visceral; it was unreal at times.
Angeline is definitely a powerful writer.
Moreover, I would consider this YA Mystery/ Crime fiction so, as such, please go into this blind. I think you'll enjoy it better because you'll be placed further into Daunis's feelings/ lack of knowledge to everything initially happening around her. It'll be more atmospheric for sure, and it's the path I chose.
Anyway, from Daunis's passion for hockey to her detective skills, I adored her. I hope all of you take a chance to learn her story because it will stay with you forevermore. The Anishinaabe are not the only Indigenous people to suffer with racism or substance abuse, so I think as a whole that's the most important note to learn from this book. In the U.S. we are hardly privy to their culture/ experiences in the media, and it's important to spread the knowledge for, hopefully, everyone to know.
Trigger Warnings: Meth addiction, murder, PTSD, kidnapping, rape, drug overdose, suicide
I went into this powerful story knowing nothing but it was as impactful as The Hate U Give. That's the perfect description because this entire book shook my soul to its core. I cried so much for Daunis and her loved ones. I'll never stop recommending this book for everyone to read. It forced me to acknowledge just how little I know about Indigenous people, and I will do better with my own education going forward.
"Lust doesn't last, but herpes is forever."
My all time favorite quote from this book! I HAD to include it to show that this book isn't solely about serious, painful things. It has humor and light amidst the darkness.
Now this story begins in 2004 in Michigan with Daunis toeing the line between her two worlds: her father's Indigenous side and her mother's white side. She's a biracial woman, who never knows how to truly satisfy both even into adulthood. Daunis is also suffering from her Uncle's recent death (believed overdose) and her grandmother's stroke.
All bad things come in three, and Daunis is certainly not wrong in this regard.
I think the reason this book hit me so intensely is partly because Daunis reminded me of myself. Now I'm not Indigenous, so I can never comprehend that or her mixed heritage, but her torn emotions (both good and bad) felt very akin to some of my own feelings in my personal life. Her wit, joy, sadness. Her rage for a better reality than what she's given. Her love for everyone even when they don't deserve it. And her pain for her Indigenous community. She's so visceral; it was unreal at times.
Angeline is definitely a powerful writer.
Moreover, I would consider this YA Mystery/ Crime fiction so, as such, please go into this blind. I think you'll enjoy it better because you'll be placed further into Daunis's feelings/ lack of knowledge to everything initially happening around her. It'll be more atmospheric for sure, and it's the path I chose.
Anyway, from Daunis's passion for hockey to her detective skills, I adored her. I hope all of you take a chance to learn her story because it will stay with you forevermore. The Anishinaabe are not the only Indigenous people to suffer with racism or substance abuse, so I think as a whole that's the most important note to learn from this book. In the U.S. we are hardly privy to their culture/ experiences in the media, and it's important to spread the knowledge for, hopefully, everyone to know.
Trigger Warnings: Meth addiction, murder, PTSD, kidnapping, rape, drug overdose, suicide