A character study and a very, very brief glimpse into the plight of the thousands of First Nations/Native women that have gone missing over the decades. Rainy and Azure are sisters that were taken from their Native American mother at the ages of 3 and 4 and placed in Foster care. Their mother had substance abuse problems and disappeared as the girls were shuffled from one home to another until they were around 13/14. They suffered from at the very least neglect, and in one home some physical abuse, but much of their story is glossed over in those early years. Thanks to the Indian Child Welfare Act, relatives are able to locate and bring them back home, but their lives are never really easy. Eventually, Rainy suffers and is diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and early onset dementia, and Azure, the younger sisters pretty much spends her life caring for her. Money is always tight, one medical disaster could set them back and make them homeless and life is just one paycheck to the next. But they have family, and they have community. That community eventually comes together to take care of the house that Rainy and Azure are living in, and end up making a girl's home for Rainy that Azure helps run.
The book is a pretty slow burn. It took some fortitude to get through because the story of these girl's is a painful one, but it's one that needs to be told. I'd love to read more stories like this, and ones that focus on the plight of the missing indigenous women that true crime is just now coming around to shine a light on. This was a sad story, but one that ultimately had heart, and a sense of family and love.
The book is a pretty slow burn. It took some fortitude to get through because the story of these girl's is a painful one, but it's one that needs to be told. I'd love to read more stories like this, and ones that focus on the plight of the missing indigenous women that true crime is just now coming around to shine a light on. This was a sad story, but one that ultimately had heart, and a sense of family and love.