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A review by emilyhays
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Re-read Jan 9th 2020:
To add to my initial review, I think Jared as a main character is a fantastic perspective on colonization. Being loyal to his mother, especially, despite her drug use and drinking, and occasionally participating himself but actively working to make his life better than the cards he as an Indigenous person has been dealt and make his mother's life better as well despite her trauma is an act of decolonization, whether Jared realizes that or not. At first it may not seem like it to the reader, he's not up to date on politics regarding Indigenous peoples and his community, he's not looking to police the people around him, but by being there for them and caring for them and his personal relationships with others in his community is a fantastic lens on decolonization.
Anyways, this is still 5/5 stars.
TW: physical assault, drug abuse, alcoholism, substance abuse, hallucination, self harm
This book was everything I would expect from Eden Robinson and I loved it. Where Monkey Beach follows a Haisla girl trying to piece together her life in knowing the power she has and the things she sees, Son of a Trickster follows Jared, who find himself in a similar position. He has the aftermath of Residential schools straining on his family, his mom is kind of strange, but loves him the same. But her mom has always called him a Trickster, and the name and her curses have weighed heavily on him his whole life. This novel follows him in grade 10 (15 years-old, I believe) as everything in his life starts to come to a point.
Eden Robinson is freaking brilliant and you should read her novels stat.
To add to my initial review, I think Jared as a main character is a fantastic perspective on colonization. Being loyal to his mother, especially, despite her drug use and drinking, and occasionally participating himself but actively working to make his life better than the cards he as an Indigenous person has been dealt and make his mother's life better as well despite her trauma is an act of decolonization, whether Jared realizes that or not. At first it may not seem like it to the reader, he's not up to date on politics regarding Indigenous peoples and his community, he's not looking to police the people around him, but by being there for them and caring for them and his personal relationships with others in his community is a fantastic lens on decolonization.
Anyways, this is still 5/5 stars.
TW: physical assault, drug abuse, alcoholism, substance abuse, hallucination, self harm
This book was everything I would expect from Eden Robinson and I loved it. Where Monkey Beach follows a Haisla girl trying to piece together her life in knowing the power she has and the things she sees, Son of a Trickster follows Jared, who find himself in a similar position. He has the aftermath of Residential schools straining on his family, his mom is kind of strange, but loves him the same. But her mom has always called him a Trickster, and the name and her curses have weighed heavily on him his whole life. This novel follows him in grade 10 (15 years-old, I believe) as everything in his life starts to come to a point.
Eden Robinson is freaking brilliant and you should read her novels stat.