Dawn Dumont has been in the news lately but not because of her writing. She kidnapped her son, faked her death and fled to the United States. She was arrested in Oregon and has now been returned to Saskatchewan to face trial. She says she did this to escape an abusive partner. Interestingly abuse plays a part in this book but the person that was the victim didn't have to resort to using false names or fleeing the country. I'll keep an open mind (as everyone should do) but I do wonder how traumatized her child must have been.

Three young people from a Saskatchewan reserve end up in Saskatoon. Nellie, Julie and Everett meet Taz who is from a northern reserve. There's a lot of drinking and partying while the four figure out their roles in life.Nellie has always been attracted to Everett but he plays the field including with Julie. Taz has dreams of being the Grand Chief and Nellie has the intelligence and organizational skills to make that happen. But Taz ends up with Julie and eventually Nellie and Everett settle down when Nellie has a baby. Julie left Taz and Saskatoon for a while to work in northern Alberta. We eventually find out that Julie had been pregnant and lost the baby after Taz hit her. When they get back together they try hard to have another baby but nothing seems to work. Until it does but maybe Everett had a role to play in Julie getting pregnant. Regardless when Taz repeats his violence Julie leaves him and moves in with Everett and Nellie. And then Nellie decides to run for Grand Chief against Taz and Everett has a showdown with Taz. So at the end, as in the beginning, the three from the one reserve are supporting each other.

This book is written as a series of interconnected short stories so there are abrupt changes of scene and jumps in time that can be a little jarring. Nevertheless because of the excellent writing and characterization this is a book that sticks with the reader long after the actual reading is finished. ( )

This is a progression of stories that form what is essentially a novel about four First Nations young people who are leaving the reservation for the first time. They discover how difficult life is for aboriginal youth as they attempt to get an education and earn a living in a world of white people. These stories could only be told by someone who has been in the position and faced the same cultural difficulties. Although their histories are marked by racism, alcohol, assault, and crime, the four share the same worries as any other young person concerned about looking their best, getting good marks, making friends, yet at no time do we forget that their fears come from a different place, a different culture. But these stories are not about being indigenous, but about four young people becoming adults, albeit in a world where they are in a minority group. Dumont's tempting book spans a couple of decades around the turn of the century. Enlightening and thought-provoking.

The author is a Plains Cree writer for newspapers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, for CBC radio, as well as working as a stand-up comedian across North America. ( )

The life and times of two Indigenous women. ( )