Son of a Trickster is by Indigenous Canadian author Eden Robinson. It is an intense coming-of-age story about Jared who at 16 has a lot to deal with. A broken family, a dead beat father, social pressures, drugs, alcohol, poverty and a slightly insane mother. Throughout the story the author has interwoven a First Nations myth about the trickster, Wee’jit.

Set in Kitimat, B.C. this is a dark story. Drug abuse and alcoholism are the driving force in both Jared’s father and mother’s lives. The author does insert plenty of humor, but it is hard to ignore the fact that Jared is more responsible that either of his parents but his life appears to be heading much the same way as theirs. His rough life is not unusual among the Indigenous of Canada and the author’s inclusion of the folklore and magical elements help in our understanding of the culture but do nothing to lighten the story.

Son of a Trickster is built around the character of Jared and he is someone that I could really root for. Yes, he drinks, uses drugs and makes money by baking pot cookies but he is generous to others, thoughtful and caring and his close relationship with his mother was endearing. Although there was very little resolution to the story, I understand that this is the first of a trilogy and so the story will continue on. Son of a Trickster works at giving a voice to the Canadian First Nations and the author is to be applauded to painting such a strong and vivid picture. ( )

I'm so glad this is going to be a trilogy. Can't wait for the next installment. ( )

I heard Eden Robinson on the radio talking about her newly-released sequel (or prequel) to this book, so I thought I’d pick it up. This is almost like a kind of urban fantasy—Canadian style. Jared is 16 and parties hard in his northern BC town. His mother parties even harder and runs alarmingly, explosively hot and cold. Jared has had supernatural encounters since childhood but doesn’t have the vocabulary to articulate or understand them, so he chalks them up to hangovers and bad drug trips. The first part of this book is filled with partying, family drama, and a budding love affair—all the things you’d expect from a novel about a teenage kid. But when the supernatural invades to the point where other humans (or what Jared always believed were humans—need to intervene, the story gets really weird. But this is an entirely human story, showing that even people who have the spirits in their sights can fall off the rails. I look forward to reading more of this series. ( )

I'm in British Columbia for a work conference so I'll write a review when I'm back in Ontario at my desk, but I loved this book a lot. ( )

An interesting book, first in a trilogy, that is nothing like what you expect. Or at least nothing like what I expected, going in. The characters are interesting, and surprisingly complex as you find out more about them. I was expecting a fantasy plot, but fantasy only really figures into the last third of the book or so. I think the hardest thing to adapt to in the book was the way the author, Eden Robinson, addresses time - or rather, does not address time. It can be difficult to tell how much time has passed between chapters, or when something is a sudden flashback or time jump. I struggled with that for about three chapters, and then I caught on to the way Robinson is writing. Beyond that, the book grabs you quite well, and despite it being completely unlike what I thought it was going to be, it was a fantastic and refreshing read. Very excited to read the rest of the trilogy. ( )