I know it’s only March, but this may very well end up being my pick for best book published in 2021.
Daunis Fontaine is the daughter of a Firekeeper in truth, if not in name. Born into scandal, the now eighteen-year-old Daunis has spent her entire life walking the line between her mother’s French/Italian family and her father’s Anishinaabe (Native American) family, even though neither identity has ever been quite within her reach.
Daunis is currently going through a rough time. Her uncle recently died and her GrandMary just had a stroke. Her Gramma Pearl always told her, “Bad things happen in threes.”
When the third bad thing finally happens, it’s a doozy that sends Daunis straight into the heart of an undercover investigation.
Firekeeper’s Daughter is an incredible debut. It manages to suck readers into a complex and dangerous mystery while also giving a realistic picture of life in a native community. This book is a prime example of why Own Voices books are so important. Daunis and the rest of her community are realistic in a way that simply would not be possible for a non-Anishinaabe writer to achieve.
I would also like to say that I appreciate the dichotomy of Daunis’s status of both science nerd and hockey star. That’s a stellar combination.
Did I mention the cover is gorgeous? It is. It’s also full of symbolism. The more I look at the artwork, the more details I notice.
NOTE: Trigger warnings for drug abuse, relationship abuse, suicide, and rape.
Daunis Fontaine is the daughter of a Firekeeper in truth, if not in name. Born into scandal, the now eighteen-year-old Daunis has spent her entire life walking the line between her mother’s French/Italian family and her father’s Anishinaabe (Native American) family, even though neither identity has ever been quite within her reach.
Daunis is currently going through a rough time. Her uncle recently died and her GrandMary just had a stroke. Her Gramma Pearl always told her, “Bad things happen in threes.”
When the third bad thing finally happens, it’s a doozy that sends Daunis straight into the heart of an undercover investigation.
Firekeeper’s Daughter is an incredible debut. It manages to suck readers into a complex and dangerous mystery while also giving a realistic picture of life in a native community. This book is a prime example of why Own Voices books are so important. Daunis and the rest of her community are realistic in a way that simply would not be possible for a non-Anishinaabe writer to achieve.
I would also like to say that I appreciate the dichotomy of Daunis’s status of both science nerd and hockey star. That’s a stellar combination.
Did I mention the cover is gorgeous? It is. It’s also full of symbolism. The more I look at the artwork, the more details I notice.
NOTE: Trigger warnings for drug abuse, relationship abuse, suicide, and rape.