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All the Quiet Places
Brian Isaac's powerful debut novel All the Quiet Places is the coming-of-age story of Eddie Toma, an Indigenous (Syilx) boy, told through the young narrator's wide-eyed observations of the world around him.
It's 1956, and six-year-old Eddie Toma lives with his mother, Grace, and his little brother, Lewis, near the Salmon River on the far edge of the Okanagan Indian Reserve in the British Columbia Southern Interior. Grace, her friend Isabel, Isabel's husband Ray, and his nephew Gregory cross the border to work as summer farm labourers in Washington state. There Eddie is free to spend long days with Gregory exploring the farm: climbing a hill to watch the sunset and listening to the wind in the grass. The boys learn from Ray's funny and dark stories. But when tragedy strikes, Eddie returns home grief-stricken, confused, and lonely.
Eddie's life is governed by the decisions of the adults around him. Grace is determined to have him learn the ways of the white world by sending him to school in the small community of Falkland. On Eddie's first day of school, as he crosses the reserve boundary at the Salmon River bridge, he leaves behind his world. Grace challenges the Indian Agent and writes futile letters to Ottawa to protest the sparse resources in their community. His father returns to the family after years away only to bring chaos and instability. Isabel and Ray join them in an overcrowded house. Only in his grandmother's company does he find solace and true companionship.
In his teens, Eddie's future seems more secure—he finds a job, and his long-time crush on his white neighbour Eva is finally reciprocated. But every time things look up, circumstances beyond his control crash down around him. The cumulative effects of guilt, grief, and despair threaten everything Eddie has ever known or loved.
All the Quiet Places is the story of what can happen when every adult in a person's life has been affected by colonialism; it tells of the acute separation from culture that can occur even at home in a loved familiar landscape. Its narrative power relies on the unguarded, unsentimental witness provided by Eddie.
It's 1956, and six-year-old Eddie Toma lives with his mother, Grace, and his little brother, Lewis, near the Salmon River on the far edge of the Okanagan Indian Reserve in the British Columbia Southern Interior. Grace, her friend Isabel, Isabel's husband Ray, and his nephew Gregory cross the border to work as summer farm labourers in Washington state. There Eddie is free to spend long days with Gregory exploring the farm: climbing a hill to watch the sunset and listening to the wind in the grass. The boys learn from Ray's funny and dark stories. But when tragedy strikes, Eddie returns home grief-stricken, confused, and lonely.
Eddie's life is governed by the decisions of the adults around him. Grace is determined to have him learn the ways of the white world by sending him to school in the small community of Falkland. On Eddie's first day of school, as he crosses the reserve boundary at the Salmon River bridge, he leaves behind his world. Grace challenges the Indian Agent and writes futile letters to Ottawa to protest the sparse resources in their community. His father returns to the family after years away only to bring chaos and instability. Isabel and Ray join them in an overcrowded house. Only in his grandmother's company does he find solace and true companionship.
In his teens, Eddie's future seems more secure—he finds a job, and his long-time crush on his white neighbour Eva is finally reciprocated. But every time things look up, circumstances beyond his control crash down around him. The cumulative effects of guilt, grief, and despair threaten everything Eddie has ever known or loved.
All the Quiet Places is the story of what can happen when every adult in a person's life has been affected by colonialism; it tells of the acute separation from culture that can occur even at home in a loved familiar landscape. Its narrative power relies on the unguarded, unsentimental witness provided by Eddie.
277 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews
November 12, 2021
Life on the Okanagan Indian Reserve in British Columbia, Canada in 1956 was for many a life of poverty, with barely enough to eat, no electricity, with seemingly no way towards a better life. This is a life we see through the innocent eyes of a young boy as he comes of age and to a realization of himself having faced the poverty, loss and grief, bullying and prejudice. Heartbreaking and gut punching as it should be . Relevant whether in Canada or in the U.S. today as the recognition of the injustices against First Nation people is so imperative. A notable debut novel.
I received a copy of this book from Touchwood Editions through Edelweiss.
I received a copy of this book from Touchwood Editions through Edelweiss.
December 18, 2021
4.5 stars
All the Quiet Places is soft yet violent. I was lulled into a false sense of optimism by the beautiful nature writing. I thought this book was going to comfort and enchant, but it came to haunt me instead.
Coming-of-age, typical growing pains of adolescence mixed with extreme racism, unresolved and undiscussed grief, and harsh bullying. Eddie's family are poor, but between hunting, fishing, and odd jobs, they are happy and find comfort in simple things. It was hard to place where they were geographically at different times and what age Eddie was as the novel progressed. He's very young (four) when we meet him, and we see him go through some horrible life experiences much too early. And no one comforts or explains to him what happened. He's left to wonder and stew and catastrophize. By the time he's a teenager, he has lost his enjoyment of life and is totally untethered, without support from his family or the anchoring of any cultural ties. No longer keeping his head above water during puberty, he begins slowly to drown. The way this book snuck up on me and my emotions was masterful. I was enjoying it, happy to see how it would all tie together and was rudely awoken by a shocking series of events. Totally blindsided by the careful craft of the author. The final pages left my mouth agape.
I would have loved more from the secondary characters. There are a few that stand out but a few who also fade together or don't get the space to truly shine. It's Eddie's story but he's clearly craving family and connections so I would have loved to have seen the book spend more time fleshing out those relationships between Eddie and his family and friends better.
The descriptions of the Okanagan landscape are not to be missed. Come for the beautiful writing that captures the quiet magnificence of the vivid forests and waterways. Stay for the powerful message about trauma and grief, family, and the unanchored existence of cultural loss.
content warnings for: scarcity of food, racism, electrocution, drowning, gun violence, bullying and physical violence, death of children, spousal abuse, depression, suicide.
All the Quiet Places is soft yet violent. I was lulled into a false sense of optimism by the beautiful nature writing. I thought this book was going to comfort and enchant, but it came to haunt me instead.
Coming-of-age, typical growing pains of adolescence mixed with extreme racism, unresolved and undiscussed grief, and harsh bullying. Eddie's family are poor, but between hunting, fishing, and odd jobs, they are happy and find comfort in simple things. It was hard to place where they were geographically at different times and what age Eddie was as the novel progressed. He's very young (four) when we meet him, and we see him go through some horrible life experiences much too early. And no one comforts or explains to him what happened. He's left to wonder and stew and catastrophize. By the time he's a teenager, he has lost his enjoyment of life and is totally untethered, without support from his family or the anchoring of any cultural ties. No longer keeping his head above water during puberty, he begins slowly to drown. The way this book snuck up on me and my emotions was masterful. I was enjoying it, happy to see how it would all tie together and was rudely awoken by a shocking series of events. Totally blindsided by the careful craft of the author. The final pages left my mouth agape.
I would have loved more from the secondary characters. There are a few that stand out but a few who also fade together or don't get the space to truly shine. It's Eddie's story but he's clearly craving family and connections so I would have loved to have seen the book spend more time fleshing out those relationships between Eddie and his family and friends better.
The descriptions of the Okanagan landscape are not to be missed. Come for the beautiful writing that captures the quiet magnificence of the vivid forests and waterways. Stay for the powerful message about trauma and grief, family, and the unanchored existence of cultural loss.
content warnings for: scarcity of food, racism, electrocution, drowning, gun violence, bullying and physical violence, death of children, spousal abuse, depression, suicide.
January 10, 2023
At times, this first novel was strongly reminiscent of other tales set in the recent past in rural Canada, where a boy encounters family, nature, difficulties, and obstacles — semi-autobiographical books such as Who Has Seen The Wind (assigned reading when I was in school) and The Mountain and the Valley. In broad strokes: a boy grows up in a rustic area (no electricity or running water), explores the outdoors, and pines for something different without really knowing what that is or how to find it.
Another common theme is the allure of nature — rivers, trees, wildlife — attractive but also dangerous. Nature is a relentless beauty, and beauty must be respected. The solace of nature is complicated.
This is a novel centred on a boy but really is mostly written for adults. I was heading towards a 4 star rating until the last few pages. Wow. Getting chills again just thinking about that powerful ending. Rarely has a novel lately achieved such an ending, one that pulls everything into a sharper focus and makes the reader really sit up and take notice.
Another common theme is the allure of nature — rivers, trees, wildlife — attractive but also dangerous. Nature is a relentless beauty, and beauty must be respected. The solace of nature is complicated.
This is a novel centred on a boy but really is mostly written for adults. I was heading towards a 4 star rating until the last few pages. Wow. Getting chills again just thinking about that powerful ending. Rarely has a novel lately achieved such an ending, one that pulls everything into a sharper focus and makes the reader really sit up and take notice.
October 25, 2022
Real Rating: 4.5* of five, rounded up for its narrative power
The Publisher Says: Brian Isaac's powerful debut novel All the Quiet Places is the coming-of-age story of Eddie Toma, an Indigenous (Syilx) boy, told through the young narrator's wide-eyed observations of the world around him.
It's 1956, and six-year-old Eddie Toma lives with his mother, Grace, and his little brother, Lewis, near the Salmon River on the far edge of the Okanagan Indian Reserve in the British Columbia Southern Interior. Grace, her friend Isabel, Isabel's husband Ray, and his nephew Gregory cross the border to work as summer farm labourers in Washington state. There Eddie is free to spend long days with Gregory exploring the farm: climbing a hill to watch the sunset and listening to the wind in the grass. The boys learn from Ray's funny and dark stories. But when tragedy strikes, Eddie returns home grief-stricken, confused, and lonely.
Eddie's life is governed by the decisions of the adults around him. Grace is determined to have him learn the ways of the white world by sending him to school in the small community of Falkland. On Eddie's first day of school, as he crosses the reserve boundary at the Salmon River bridge, he leaves behind his world. Grace challenges the Indian Agent and writes futile letters to Ottawa to protest the sparse resources in their community. His father returns to the family after years away only to bring chaos and instability. Isabel and Ray join them in an overcrowded house. Only in his grandmother's company does he find solace and true companionship.
In his teens, Eddie's future seems more secure—he finds a job, and his long-time crush on his white neighbour Eva is finally reciprocated. But every time things look up, circumstances beyond his control crash down around him. The cumulative effects of guilt, grief, and despair threaten everything Eddie has ever known or loved.
All the Quiet Places is the story of what can happen when every adult in a person's life has been affected by colonialism; it tells of the acute separation from culture that can occur even at home in a loved familiar landscape. Its narrative power relies on the unguarded, unsentimental witness provided by Eddie.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: This beautifully written debut novel, telling a deeply affecting story of a boy's coming of age amid loss and deprivation, was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2022. I'm a bit surprised that it didn't make the shortlist because it's got the power and the credibility to impress any judging panel. Still...however they chose, the judges chose this story to stay longlisted.
Eddie Toma is a character I recognize...a youth whose rudder isn't calibrated like he's told it's supposed to be. It's an adolescent trait, of course, but the issues Eddie is coping with are his life are those unique to an unvalued Indigenous male. In a settler-colonial society he isn't going to find a lot of validation. What he has, in compensation, is a formidable grandmother who models a moral compass nonpareil. He spends his entire growing-up time torn between the need, like all of us, to figure out what the world is about, and the impoverished person's need to find enough food to fill his hunger. His life in the white-people school in the nearest town is a nightmare of bewilderment...how is he supposed to know about racism? until he started school he'd never even been to the white people who lived across the road's home!...and there is no one to explain anything to him at home or at school.
Except Eva, the white girl who lives across the road...she's kind, and she's weird, and she's got something Eddie can't quite figure out going on in her mind. (That remains true all through the book.) Eva is a beautiful, willful, intelligent girl caught in a place too small to hold her talent, still less her interest. As Eddie and Eva continue to knock their corners together and as Life gives them nasty buffets and blows, they simply get on with getting on. Growing up. Learning and wondering and trying stuff out.
When I think about the way the story unfolds after reading the ending of the book, I feel so much more as though Author Isaac brought his bluntest weapons to the tale's wordsmithing. I was always involved in Eddie's solitary life, weirdly lived among the crowds of people who were Others to Eddie and who in their turn Othered him. I wished, at every failed opportunity to make a connection with someone, that I could go into the pages and hug Eddie. I wished his family had seen him, the "him" that this novel builds, the real him. His mother was challenged at every single step by single motherhood, by racial prejudice, by the judgment and unkindness of the world; her treatment of her sons was only marginally better than their treatment at the world's hands, and it's there that I wanted to go be a White Savior.
It's not, then, the happiest of lives that Eddie and his family live. He loves, I think, almost no one but he crushes on Eva and still can't connect with her. She, in her turn, is both kind and cruel. She's a kid...she's a rebel...she's a privileged white lass whose feelings for an Indigenous lad are titillatingly forbidden, yet came across to me as sincere. As the years progress, Eddie can't make sense of her, can't make sense of his burgeoning feelings for her, can't take in the manifold cruelties he's undergoing on every level except one quiet refuge: His grandmother.
His mother's mother is a calm center of this chaotic bunch. Even her white racist neighbors feel respect for her, though they never express it without nastiness. Eddie loves her, in the best way a deprived and neglected heart like his can love. Only to her can he turn in all his bewilderment and rage, with all his confused longings for nameless-to-him caring and nurturing. From her he absorbs respect for the wild world, and her son Alphonse (whose life doesn't include much voluntary time spent with any kids) leads him by example to knowledge of and connection with his environment. These factors enable Eddie to get through the disasters of most all colonialism-, racism-, and poverty-blighted lives. He is, at base and at heart, only truly, trustingly at home in the wild world.
The ending of the story is, I confess, a bit downbeat for my taste; it's the reason I'm not giving the read all five stars. It makes perfect sense. It is exactly what, I suspect, happened to someone, somewhere in Author Isaac's own past. It is not false; it is just...so very, very sad. I wouldn't recommend this as a read for someone needing a cup of cheer. But I do recommend that you read this tender, loving, cruelly realistic tale of life lived in racism's ugly glare.
The Publisher Says: Brian Isaac's powerful debut novel All the Quiet Places is the coming-of-age story of Eddie Toma, an Indigenous (Syilx) boy, told through the young narrator's wide-eyed observations of the world around him.
It's 1956, and six-year-old Eddie Toma lives with his mother, Grace, and his little brother, Lewis, near the Salmon River on the far edge of the Okanagan Indian Reserve in the British Columbia Southern Interior. Grace, her friend Isabel, Isabel's husband Ray, and his nephew Gregory cross the border to work as summer farm labourers in Washington state. There Eddie is free to spend long days with Gregory exploring the farm: climbing a hill to watch the sunset and listening to the wind in the grass. The boys learn from Ray's funny and dark stories. But when tragedy strikes, Eddie returns home grief-stricken, confused, and lonely.
Eddie's life is governed by the decisions of the adults around him. Grace is determined to have him learn the ways of the white world by sending him to school in the small community of Falkland. On Eddie's first day of school, as he crosses the reserve boundary at the Salmon River bridge, he leaves behind his world. Grace challenges the Indian Agent and writes futile letters to Ottawa to protest the sparse resources in their community. His father returns to the family after years away only to bring chaos and instability. Isabel and Ray join them in an overcrowded house. Only in his grandmother's company does he find solace and true companionship.
In his teens, Eddie's future seems more secure—he finds a job, and his long-time crush on his white neighbour Eva is finally reciprocated. But every time things look up, circumstances beyond his control crash down around him. The cumulative effects of guilt, grief, and despair threaten everything Eddie has ever known or loved.
All the Quiet Places is the story of what can happen when every adult in a person's life has been affected by colonialism; it tells of the acute separation from culture that can occur even at home in a loved familiar landscape. Its narrative power relies on the unguarded, unsentimental witness provided by Eddie.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: This beautifully written debut novel, telling a deeply affecting story of a boy's coming of age amid loss and deprivation, was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2022. I'm a bit surprised that it didn't make the shortlist because it's got the power and the credibility to impress any judging panel. Still...however they chose, the judges chose this story to stay longlisted.
Eddie Toma is a character I recognize...a youth whose rudder isn't calibrated like he's told it's supposed to be. It's an adolescent trait, of course, but the issues Eddie is coping with are his life are those unique to an unvalued Indigenous male. In a settler-colonial society he isn't going to find a lot of validation. What he has, in compensation, is a formidable grandmother who models a moral compass nonpareil. He spends his entire growing-up time torn between the need, like all of us, to figure out what the world is about, and the impoverished person's need to find enough food to fill his hunger. His life in the white-people school in the nearest town is a nightmare of bewilderment...how is he supposed to know about racism? until he started school he'd never even been to the white people who lived across the road's home!...and there is no one to explain anything to him at home or at school.
Except Eva, the white girl who lives across the road...she's kind, and she's weird, and she's got something Eddie can't quite figure out going on in her mind. (That remains true all through the book.) Eva is a beautiful, willful, intelligent girl caught in a place too small to hold her talent, still less her interest. As Eddie and Eva continue to knock their corners together and as Life gives them nasty buffets and blows, they simply get on with getting on. Growing up. Learning and wondering and trying stuff out.
When I think about the way the story unfolds after reading the ending of the book, I feel so much more as though Author Isaac brought his bluntest weapons to the tale's wordsmithing. I was always involved in Eddie's solitary life, weirdly lived among the crowds of people who were Others to Eddie and who in their turn Othered him. I wished, at every failed opportunity to make a connection with someone, that I could go into the pages and hug Eddie. I wished his family had seen him, the "him" that this novel builds, the real him. His mother was challenged at every single step by single motherhood, by racial prejudice, by the judgment and unkindness of the world; her treatment of her sons was only marginally better than their treatment at the world's hands, and it's there that I wanted to go be a White Savior.
It's not, then, the happiest of lives that Eddie and his family live. He loves, I think, almost no one but he crushes on Eva and still can't connect with her. She, in her turn, is both kind and cruel. She's a kid...she's a rebel...she's a privileged white lass whose feelings for an Indigenous lad are titillatingly forbidden, yet came across to me as sincere. As the years progress, Eddie can't make sense of her, can't make sense of his burgeoning feelings for her, can't take in the manifold cruelties he's undergoing on every level except one quiet refuge: His grandmother.
His mother's mother is a calm center of this chaotic bunch. Even her white racist neighbors feel respect for her, though they never express it without nastiness. Eddie loves her, in the best way a deprived and neglected heart like his can love. Only to her can he turn in all his bewilderment and rage, with all his confused longings for nameless-to-him caring and nurturing. From her he absorbs respect for the wild world, and her son Alphonse (whose life doesn't include much voluntary time spent with any kids) leads him by example to knowledge of and connection with his environment. These factors enable Eddie to get through the disasters of most all colonialism-, racism-, and poverty-blighted lives. He is, at base and at heart, only truly, trustingly at home in the wild world.
The ending of the story is, I confess, a bit downbeat for my taste; it's the reason I'm not giving the read all five stars. It makes perfect sense. It is exactly what, I suspect, happened to someone, somewhere in Author Isaac's own past. It is not false; it is just...so very, very sad. I wouldn't recommend this as a read for someone needing a cup of cheer. But I do recommend that you read this tender, loving, cruelly realistic tale of life lived in racism's ugly glare.
September 12, 2022
Longlisted for The Giller Prize 2022
This book is an example of why third-person POV is mostly a miss for me.
This is Eddie Toma's coming-of-age story, where we follow him from six years old. I wish this had been from his pov. Mainly because the narration lacked emotional depth in my opinion.
The synopsis maps out most of the book, so there is nothing that happened that could really surprise me. However, I went into the book mostly because the reviews here on GoodReads guaranteed beautiful nature writing in this book. While it delivered a decent amount of it, it could not hide its lack of character growth.
As the protagonist of the story, we really don't get to know Eddie. Even when a tragedy hits Eddie & his family in the earlier part of the book, the writing does not provide an insight into what Eddie ultimately feels. It holds back, thus making it impossible for a character arc to develop. This was frustrating to me because the writing was pretty good, even by the standards of a debut.
While I was slightly disappointed, I was glad to have read it.
3.5⭐
A Book A Week Challenge, Week 37, 2022.
This book is an example of why third-person POV is mostly a miss for me.
This is Eddie Toma's coming-of-age story, where we follow him from six years old. I wish this had been from his pov. Mainly because the narration lacked emotional depth in my opinion.
The synopsis maps out most of the book, so there is nothing that happened that could really surprise me. However, I went into the book mostly because the reviews here on GoodReads guaranteed beautiful nature writing in this book. While it delivered a decent amount of it, it could not hide its lack of character growth.
As the protagonist of the story, we really don't get to know Eddie. Even when a tragedy hits Eddie & his family in the earlier part of the book, the writing does not provide an insight into what Eddie ultimately feels. It holds back, thus making it impossible for a character arc to develop. This was frustrating to me because the writing was pretty good, even by the standards of a debut.
While I was slightly disappointed, I was glad to have read it.
3.5⭐
A Book A Week Challenge, Week 37, 2022.
November 4, 2021
All the shitty stats on Indigenous populations you read? They're all woven together in this story.
December 14, 2022
Brian Thomas Isaac's debut novel comes with a long list of awards and almosts:
Finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction
Longlisted for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize
A National Bestseller
Winner of the 2022 Indigenous Voices Awards' Published Prose in English Prize
Shortlisted for the 2022 Amazon Canada First Novel Award
Longlisted for CBC Canada Reads 2022
An Indigo Top 100 Book of 2021
An Indigo Top 10 Best Canadian Fiction Book of 2021
And it is for this reason I chose to read this much-acclaimed novel.
My decision was met with disappointment and even frustration. I shall enumerate for those who care to read:
- The writing was flat, like reading a 14 year-old's English literature assignment. There were no literary devices to engage and evoke response. There was no emotion. Only events and facts. It was almost like reading a statement from a person suffering from PTSD.
- There was no character development, no nuance, no tying character to environment and situation. It was simply a recounting of events.
To illustrate: early in the novel there is a death of the child-protagonist's friend and relative. It is a tragic event. But there is no emotion whatever involved in that event, or that crucial scene. No reaction. The boy drowns. The friend finds him. The families pack up and move on.
In the early portion of the novel there is a hint of the misery about which Steinbeck wrote so well in The Grapes of Wrath. But unlike Steinbeck, Isaac fails to evoke any sense of social injustice, of rage, of misery. It's all just events moving across a flat cinematic landscape. And more's the pity, because there is much about which to rage, to engage, to evoke response. But instead Isaac's novel remains in the flatline grey zone of a could-be great.
At about the halfway point the writing, characterization, and plot arc had become so predictable, stereotyped, and tedious I started speed-reading just to get through it, hoping at some point to find some nugget, some gem to engage my pathos, my investment.
And in the end, in this hopeless tale, hopelessly written, is a hopeless finality which loses all impact because as a reader I wasn't invested.
Certainly the plight of Canada's First Nations people is worthy of examination, of our engagement, of our call to action. And that has been done very eloquently and powerfully by writers like Thomas King, Joseph Boyden, Richard Wagamese, and more. But Isaac? Sadly, his is a whisper of a voice among a forest of giants.
Finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction
Longlisted for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize
A National Bestseller
Winner of the 2022 Indigenous Voices Awards' Published Prose in English Prize
Shortlisted for the 2022 Amazon Canada First Novel Award
Longlisted for CBC Canada Reads 2022
An Indigo Top 100 Book of 2021
An Indigo Top 10 Best Canadian Fiction Book of 2021
And it is for this reason I chose to read this much-acclaimed novel.
My decision was met with disappointment and even frustration. I shall enumerate for those who care to read:
- The writing was flat, like reading a 14 year-old's English literature assignment. There were no literary devices to engage and evoke response. There was no emotion. Only events and facts. It was almost like reading a statement from a person suffering from PTSD.
- There was no character development, no nuance, no tying character to environment and situation. It was simply a recounting of events.
To illustrate: early in the novel there is a death of the child-protagonist's friend and relative. It is a tragic event. But there is no emotion whatever involved in that event, or that crucial scene. No reaction. The boy drowns. The friend finds him. The families pack up and move on.
In the early portion of the novel there is a hint of the misery about which Steinbeck wrote so well in The Grapes of Wrath. But unlike Steinbeck, Isaac fails to evoke any sense of social injustice, of rage, of misery. It's all just events moving across a flat cinematic landscape. And more's the pity, because there is much about which to rage, to engage, to evoke response. But instead Isaac's novel remains in the flatline grey zone of a could-be great.
At about the halfway point the writing, characterization, and plot arc had become so predictable, stereotyped, and tedious I started speed-reading just to get through it, hoping at some point to find some nugget, some gem to engage my pathos, my investment.
And in the end, in this hopeless tale, hopelessly written, is a hopeless finality which loses all impact because as a reader I wasn't invested.
Certainly the plight of Canada's First Nations people is worthy of examination, of our engagement, of our call to action. And that has been done very eloquently and powerfully by writers like Thomas King, Joseph Boyden, Richard Wagamese, and more. But Isaac? Sadly, his is a whisper of a voice among a forest of giants.
April 14, 2022
Holy bleep. This book is all kinds of f’d up. I honestly can’t tell right now if I love it or loathe it. Love it, because the author took me right into Eddie’s world and made it so vivid. And loathe it, because that vivid life that was portrayed so well was gut-wrenchingly awful and the most messed up part of it all is that I don’t doubt the honesty of that life for a second. Man, every kid should read this book to get a glimpse into the aftereffects of colonization and how history isn't only played out in the past. Dang. If there’s one thing I can conclusively say right now, it’s that after staying up until almost 2 am on a school night to finish this book, I know for certain it’s going to take a long time before I fall asleep tonight.
May 12, 2025
A feel-bad coming of age story of an Indigenous boy in the 1950s and 1960’s. We first follow Eddie as a six-year-old boy in the summer right before he’s about to enter school for the first time. His mother refuses to send him to residential schools not only because of their reputations, but for him “to learn the ways of the white world” before it’s too late.
This novel moves from Eddie’s childhood to late teens. And let me be real, this story is HEAVY. This is one of those books where bad things keep on happening: tragedies, bullying, death, abuse, you get it. Although I think it was too much at times (the writer could’ve had a little mercy), it always felt realistic. What happens to someone who feels like there is no one looking out for them? What happens to a person’s spirit when the world keeps on shouting that you don’t belong? What happens to the psyche of someone who has the weight of a people’s struggles on their shoulders?
The warmth in your heart wishes to assure Eddie that everything will turn out okay even when you know that it will not. It hurt to read. And it’s a powerful reminder of the way Indigenous people were treated and are still treated in this country. No one is a totally good person in this book; we see how life has failed them and how that manifests into ugliness. But you can also see that everyone is doing the best they can even if it may not necessarily be “the right way.”
I still need to reflect on this book more, but it left me devastated and destroyed.
This novel moves from Eddie’s childhood to late teens. And let me be real, this story is HEAVY. This is one of those books where bad things keep on happening: tragedies, bullying, death, abuse, you get it. Although I think it was too much at times (the writer could’ve had a little mercy), it always felt realistic. What happens to someone who feels like there is no one looking out for them? What happens to a person’s spirit when the world keeps on shouting that you don’t belong? What happens to the psyche of someone who has the weight of a people’s struggles on their shoulders?
The warmth in your heart wishes to assure Eddie that everything will turn out okay even when you know that it will not. It hurt to read. And it’s a powerful reminder of the way Indigenous people were treated and are still treated in this country. No one is a totally good person in this book; we see how life has failed them and how that manifests into ugliness. But you can also see that everyone is doing the best they can even if it may not necessarily be “the right way.”
I still need to reflect on this book more, but it left me devastated and destroyed.
August 11, 2022
This debut novel has beautiful descriptions of nature, and landscape of the Okanagan Indian Reserve in British Columbia where six-year-old Eddie Toma lives with his mother, Grace, and his little brother, Lewis. I I was captivated by the writing of Brian Thomas Isaac and as tells of Eddie's childhood - quiet times with his Grandma, picnics, poverty, bullying, death, racism, wife abuse, and shortage of food.
This heartbreaking and gut punching novel is the story of what can happen when every adult in a person's life has been affected by colonialism. Through Eddie's unsentimental, unguarded witness it tells of the acute separation from culture that can occur even at home in a loved familiar landscape.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This heartbreaking and gut punching novel is the story of what can happen when every adult in a person's life has been affected by colonialism. Through Eddie's unsentimental, unguarded witness it tells of the acute separation from culture that can occur even at home in a loved familiar landscape.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 19, 2022
In a nutshell, this book is depressing and tragic, with some sadness on the side.
abandoned-dnf
June 5, 2024DNF @ 12% - I just don't have the patience to even read about a guy who finds sick pleasure in teasing animals and little boys.
May 5, 2025
Oh Eddie. Sweet, earnest Eddie. 1960's coming of age on the Okanagan Indian Reserve. No power, no water, no indoor plumbing, racism and almost daily peril .... but young Eddie does have a tough as nails, protective Mom, a Grandma who truly sees him and the peace and solace he finds in nature.
Epitomizing that it's never too late, this is a tender novel from 70yr old debut author, Brian Thomas Isaac.
Epitomizing that it's never too late, this is a tender novel from 70yr old debut author, Brian Thomas Isaac.
January 10, 2023
Despite the accolades this book has received, I came away feeling "a nice little story that could have been so much more". It is a recounting of what characters say and do, not an exploration or revelation of their thoughts and feelings. There is little character development, little nuance, little complexity. Because the story is told in third-person objective point of view, the characters are flat and one-dimensional.
Certainly young Eddie faces difficulties that no child should endure: his family is dirt-poor, he encounters racism at his school and within his community, and he is affected by some very dysfunctional adults who wander in and out of his life.
Yet he is raised by a strong woman, he has a loving grandmother and little brother, and he has a teacher, an uncle, and a friend who care about him. His mother has deliberately chosen to live far from the other residents of the reserve, and is determined that her son will get a good education. For the most part, she provides structure and security to her two boys. Why, then, does Eddie believe that only his grandmother and friend Eva care about him?
Why his mother isn't honest with him, why uncle Alphonse 'spills the beans' then leaves immediately, why uncle Ray makes such cruel accusations are unfathomable factors in Eddie's decision. The ending is bitter-sweet, heart-wrenching, and indeterminate. I choose to believe that the momentary pause is an indication of a positive outcome.
Certainly young Eddie faces difficulties that no child should endure: his family is dirt-poor, he encounters racism at his school and within his community, and he is affected by some very dysfunctional adults who wander in and out of his life.
Yet he is raised by a strong woman, he has a loving grandmother and little brother, and he has a teacher, an uncle, and a friend who care about him. His mother has deliberately chosen to live far from the other residents of the reserve, and is determined that her son will get a good education. For the most part, she provides structure and security to her two boys. Why, then, does Eddie believe that only his grandmother and friend Eva care about him?
Why his mother isn't honest with him, why uncle Alphonse 'spills the beans' then leaves immediately, why uncle Ray makes such cruel accusations are unfathomable factors in Eddie's decision. The ending is bitter-sweet, heart-wrenching, and indeterminate. I choose to believe that the momentary pause is an indication of a positive outcome.
August 12, 2023
This book was absolutely miserable. Apparently excessive tragedy told with vivid descriptions is award worthy, but it is definitely not my kind of book.
Times I almost abandoned this book: after 4 chapters of boring slice of life blah blah blah, after a chapter where a pet rabbit is accidentally killed out of drunken neglect, when a chapter started by Eddie farting, all sorts of abuse , and another horrifyingly tragic moment near the end. I can barely stomach reading about a violent death of one baby or animal, but this book made me read several.
I can take a couple bad things happening to characters in the books I read; I know everything can't be all sunshine and roses. But this was too much. Too much trauma; too much misery. It was overwhelming, horrific, and excessively grim.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
Times I almost abandoned this book: after 4 chapters of boring slice of life blah blah blah, after a chapter where a pet rabbit is accidentally killed out of drunken neglect, when a chapter started by Eddie farting, all sorts of abuse , and another horrifyingly tragic moment near the end. I can barely stomach reading about a violent death of one baby or animal, but this book made me read several.
I can take a couple bad things happening to characters in the books I read; I know everything can't be all sunshine and roses. But this was too much. Too much trauma; too much misery. It was overwhelming, horrific, and excessively grim.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
September 16, 2021
3.5!
Thank you Touchwood Editions for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Eddie Toma, our main character, is so likeable, which is what kept me reading. I love how his story was written, from a 4 year old boy to a late teen. The setting and the atmosphere in the book was written well, and I loved how the descriptions of each place was vivid and easy to picture.
Although there is some confusion at times as to where we are (in terms of date), and some chapters were way too long/way too short, I do think this was a great debut book.
I feel like Brian Thomas Issac is the kind of author who you’d want to see live (or virtually), talking about this book, because I think it would bring a lot of clarity and meaning to the story.
Thank you Touchwood Editions for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Eddie Toma, our main character, is so likeable, which is what kept me reading. I love how his story was written, from a 4 year old boy to a late teen. The setting and the atmosphere in the book was written well, and I loved how the descriptions of each place was vivid and easy to picture.
Although there is some confusion at times as to where we are (in terms of date), and some chapters were way too long/way too short, I do think this was a great debut book.
I feel like Brian Thomas Issac is the kind of author who you’d want to see live (or virtually), talking about this book, because I think it would bring a lot of clarity and meaning to the story.
June 4, 2022
A look at life on a reservation through the eyes of a young man, excellently rendered. Coming-of-age through the normal vectors, with the additional stymie of being surrounded with trauma and without access to basic needs nor the basic extension of empathy from authority.
Side note: I was surprised by various Alphonse surnames appearing, as my cousins have that family name, and grew up in Black Lake, SK. Immediately endearing.
Side note: I was surprised by various Alphonse surnames appearing, as my cousins have that family name, and grew up in Black Lake, SK. Immediately endearing.
December 7, 2021
I don't read nearly enough stories like this and was very interesting and intriguing to listen to and very emotional at times
April 14, 2023
This novel is basically a bildungs roman of an Indigenous boy Eddy who is caught between worlds--the town and the land, the whites and his people, his youth and adulthood--in the mid-twentieth century. The characters are truthfully depicted (I especially enjoyed his mother Grace and her fight with various levels of authority), and the situations are sometimes raw yet so believable that our emotions are pulled like Eddy's. The dialogue is great; the scenes are honest and clear. Every detail woven throughout leaves an unforgettable mark. The ending left my heart in my stomach.
I know the area depicted in this novel very well, as I grew up about a decade later some eight miles north along the Salmon River and moved to Vernon as a young adult. I went to school in Silver Creek with kids from the Salmon River Reserve yet didn't really know what their lives were like since school was our only interface. The Salmon River, the bridge (that we named after a local family of the time), the highway into Vernon and even the towns of Falkland and Vernon are very familiar to me, so I could appreciate the very environment Eddy experiences--a nostalgic trip.
And yet the world that Eddy lives in is also removed from my own experience so that reading became an enlightening act. But because of the draw of the river and its environs on Eddy, I relate strongly to him and how he found solace there. I, too, spent many hours alone by this river and came away feeling more whole or enriched--the same impression as reading this novel has given.
I know the area depicted in this novel very well, as I grew up about a decade later some eight miles north along the Salmon River and moved to Vernon as a young adult. I went to school in Silver Creek with kids from the Salmon River Reserve yet didn't really know what their lives were like since school was our only interface. The Salmon River, the bridge (that we named after a local family of the time), the highway into Vernon and even the towns of Falkland and Vernon are very familiar to me, so I could appreciate the very environment Eddy experiences--a nostalgic trip.
And yet the world that Eddy lives in is also removed from my own experience so that reading became an enlightening act. But because of the draw of the river and its environs on Eddy, I relate strongly to him and how he found solace there. I, too, spent many hours alone by this river and came away feeling more whole or enriched--the same impression as reading this novel has given.
February 12, 2022
You know I love Canadian Literature so I was really excited to read this own voices novel that was longlisted for CBC Canada Reads this year!
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ALL THE QUIET PLACES by Brian Thomas Isaac is an amazing debut! It’s about Eddie Toma, an Indigenous (Syilx) boy and his coming of age story. Eddie, 6 years old in 1956, lives on the far edge of the Okanagan Indian Reserve with his mother, Grace, and little brother, Lewis, and grows up dealing with grief, the return of his father and the affects of colonialism.
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I loved the setting of this book as it’s so close to home. The narrative voice of Eddie felt very raw and to the point. I loved the full arc of his story from when he was a little boy to his teens. So much happens in his life that is really heartbreaking and makes this quite an emotional read. I was hoping for the best for Eddie and his family throughout the whole book. This is a novel that makes me curious to learn which parts are drawn from the author’s own experiences and which parts are purely fiction. Brian Thomas Isaac was born in 1950 on the Okanagan Indian Reserve so his writing of that time and place felt extremely real. At the end of this book I felt like I couldn’t take much more sadness but I really recommend this book!
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Thank you to Touchwood for my gifted review copy!
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ALL THE QUIET PLACES by Brian Thomas Isaac is an amazing debut! It’s about Eddie Toma, an Indigenous (Syilx) boy and his coming of age story. Eddie, 6 years old in 1956, lives on the far edge of the Okanagan Indian Reserve with his mother, Grace, and little brother, Lewis, and grows up dealing with grief, the return of his father and the affects of colonialism.
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I loved the setting of this book as it’s so close to home. The narrative voice of Eddie felt very raw and to the point. I loved the full arc of his story from when he was a little boy to his teens. So much happens in his life that is really heartbreaking and makes this quite an emotional read. I was hoping for the best for Eddie and his family throughout the whole book. This is a novel that makes me curious to learn which parts are drawn from the author’s own experiences and which parts are purely fiction. Brian Thomas Isaac was born in 1950 on the Okanagan Indian Reserve so his writing of that time and place felt extremely real. At the end of this book I felt like I couldn’t take much more sadness but I really recommend this book!
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Thank you to Touchwood for my gifted review copy!
June 15, 2023
I read All The Quiet Places (Canada reads 2022) as part of my 2022 BINGO card.
All the Quiet Places was not like any other book written by an indigenous author I’ve read so far. It is more than just a beautiful narration of Eddie’s life and his surroundings.
Issac follows the life of a 5 year old indigenous boy who is growing up with his brother and single mother on the reserve.
At every turn of a page I was expecting something bad to happen like many other real life horrible events - even at the very end. But it didn’t, and I started to enjoy reading it much more when not anticipating a bad thing to happen.
Kudos to all the hidden places we find in our lives where we find safety and where time slows down, enough for us to think and heal our souls.
“As he closed his eyes, a woodpecker began hammering away on a rock-hard fir. He paused. In that brief moment of hesitation, he heard the fluttering of little birds' wings, fir cones swishing down through the boughs of trees as they fell but never seemed to land, the faraway cooing of an inconsolable mourning dove, and the nearby river washing over rocks and logs.”
5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All the Quiet Places was not like any other book written by an indigenous author I’ve read so far. It is more than just a beautiful narration of Eddie’s life and his surroundings.
Issac follows the life of a 5 year old indigenous boy who is growing up with his brother and single mother on the reserve.
At every turn of a page I was expecting something bad to happen like many other real life horrible events - even at the very end. But it didn’t, and I started to enjoy reading it much more when not anticipating a bad thing to happen.
Kudos to all the hidden places we find in our lives where we find safety and where time slows down, enough for us to think and heal our souls.
“As he closed his eyes, a woodpecker began hammering away on a rock-hard fir. He paused. In that brief moment of hesitation, he heard the fluttering of little birds' wings, fir cones swishing down through the boughs of trees as they fell but never seemed to land, the faraway cooing of an inconsolable mourning dove, and the nearby river washing over rocks and logs.”
5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 27, 2022
I had high expectations for this book, especially since it was nominated for the Giller this year. Unfortunately, All the Quiet Places ended up falling far short of what I was hoping for.
The story was kind of all over the place, jumping around between chapters and even within chapters in a way that made me keep thinking I'd missed something or accidentally skipped ahead a few pages. Some chapters felt like entirely different stories, set apart from the main storyline, which was more than a bit jarring.
But the most disappointing part was the lack of emotion, especially from the book's main character. Eddie experiences a lot of incredibly tragic events over the course of the narrative, but he doesn't react to them with any sort of depth. The description for All the Quiet Places actually uses the word "unsentimental" to describe what it's like seeing the world through Eddie's eyes, but I honestly didn't expect the perspective to be quite so unfeeling. The lack of emotion made it really hard to connect with the characters, and Eddie himself didn't really undergo any real character development, even though the story does take place over a period of almost 10 years.
I will say that Brian Thomas Isaac does provide beautiful descriptions of BC's southern interior, so it does make for a good nature story. But otherwise, I wouldn't really say that I enjoyed reading this one.
The story was kind of all over the place, jumping around between chapters and even within chapters in a way that made me keep thinking I'd missed something or accidentally skipped ahead a few pages. Some chapters felt like entirely different stories, set apart from the main storyline, which was more than a bit jarring.
But the most disappointing part was the lack of emotion, especially from the book's main character. Eddie experiences a lot of incredibly tragic events over the course of the narrative, but he doesn't react to them with any sort of depth. The description for All the Quiet Places actually uses the word "unsentimental" to describe what it's like seeing the world through Eddie's eyes, but I honestly didn't expect the perspective to be quite so unfeeling. The lack of emotion made it really hard to connect with the characters, and Eddie himself didn't really undergo any real character development, even though the story does take place over a period of almost 10 years.
I will say that Brian Thomas Isaac does provide beautiful descriptions of BC's southern interior, so it does make for a good nature story. But otherwise, I wouldn't really say that I enjoyed reading this one.
April 13, 2023
I knew this book wouldn't be easy, but it trampled on my heart more than I expected it to. We first meet Eddie when he is six years old and about to start school. It's 1956, and his family is living at the edge of the Okanagan Indian Reserve, so he can catch the bus to go the white school in town. His mother thinks this will give him some kind of advantage, but his life is still very, very hard. We follow Eddie and his family into his teen years, and along the way poverty, racism, bullying, domestic violence, alcohol, and parental neglect take their toll. Eddie is upheld by his love of nature and his relationship with his grandmother, but you just know that things are not going to turn out well for him. The time spent in nature, the beautiful descriptions, and his friendship with his white neighbor lull you into thinking things might be ok, but this story is like a mostly gentle ride in a leaky canoe with few rapids along the way, that is carrying you unknowingly to a waterfall waiting around the final bend. The devastating effects of colonialism are everywhere in this book, and the characters don't stand a chance. The author is from the Okanagan Reserve and grew up in the same time period, so I have to assume this story is partly autobiographical, which makes it all the more sad.
September 25, 2021
Content note: death, bullying, suicidal ideation, racism, intergenerational trauma,
Set in the 50s through 60s in the Okanagan region on a reserve and nearby town, I've been staring blankly at the wall trying to think what to write.
There is beautiful prose about the land - and descriptions of poverty some contemporary readers may find unthinkable.
There are the effects of intergenerational trauma in family dynamics, in how the world is viewed. In protecting children from government agents who have done harm to other family members. Of fighting to get basic services like electricity connected despite years of promises.
While set in the past, I gently implore non-Indigenous readers to keep in mind that the last residential schools in Canada had students until 1996. That there are still currently boil water advisories on reservations across the country. That enforcement by children's services disproportionately impacts indigenous families. The novel is set in the past, but the issues are contemporary.
Set in the 50s through 60s in the Okanagan region on a reserve and nearby town, I've been staring blankly at the wall trying to think what to write.
There is beautiful prose about the land - and descriptions of poverty some contemporary readers may find unthinkable.
There are the effects of intergenerational trauma in family dynamics, in how the world is viewed. In protecting children from government agents who have done harm to other family members. Of fighting to get basic services like electricity connected despite years of promises.
While set in the past, I gently implore non-Indigenous readers to keep in mind that the last residential schools in Canada had students until 1996. That there are still currently boil water advisories on reservations across the country. That enforcement by children's services disproportionately impacts indigenous families. The novel is set in the past, but the issues are contemporary.
February 18, 2024
3.75🌟 A couple of the plot points in the middle confused me wrt to how they related to the overarching theme/message of the book, and sometimes I was a bit confused about the sequence of events in the story. That being said, I found both the beginning and end of the book to be incredibly powerful. Eddie felt so real & the descriptions of him being in nature gave me chills.
May 14, 2022
Beautiful and touching. Eddie is written with such love, and the descriptions of the natural surroundings are detailed and captivating. The humour and reality of the characters create a whole picture that will hold the attention of both indigenous readers and settlers.
January 25, 2024
This is a solid coming of age novel set on a Indian reservation in British Columbia, in the late 1950s. Told through the eyes of Eddie, a young boy living a hard life with his mother and little brother. Very well done.
April 17, 2024
Sometimes a book finds you, and you 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 you were always meant to read it. All the Quiet Places was one of those books for me. I am definitely not surprised that it has received the accolades that it has, and is deserving of every one.
Beginning in 1956, All the Quiet Places is the coming-of-age story of Eddie Toma. He exclusively narrates this story from the tender age of 6 until his teen years as we navigate through reservation life, Residential Schools, PTSD, and the post-colonial world of Canada’s Indigenous population with increasing awareness.
For many, this will not be an easy read, but it is beautiful and so carefully written. You’ll watch through Eddie’s eyes as his life is affected by the choices of the adults around him, and how, in turn, those adults are affected by the Indian Agents that keep them staunchly oppressed. Reading this through a child’s eyes, a child who becomes more and more aware of what their future of oppression looks like, is gut-wrenching. The self- realization of a colonized child will forever stay in my heart in its heart-breaking honesty.
Truthfully, even though this is a historical fiction, so many of these EXACT challenges still face the Indigenous populations of Canada today. The systemic racism and oppression of these communities is so deep-seated and government is resistant to create lasting change lest they upset the status quo.
As always, for Canadians especially, it is so important to read hard and uncomfortable truths such as this. The better we understand, the more likely our sympathy becomes empathy, and our empathy can become action. 🧡
4.5 rounded up.
Beginning in 1956, All the Quiet Places is the coming-of-age story of Eddie Toma. He exclusively narrates this story from the tender age of 6 until his teen years as we navigate through reservation life, Residential Schools, PTSD, and the post-colonial world of Canada’s Indigenous population with increasing awareness.
For many, this will not be an easy read, but it is beautiful and so carefully written. You’ll watch through Eddie’s eyes as his life is affected by the choices of the adults around him, and how, in turn, those adults are affected by the Indian Agents that keep them staunchly oppressed. Reading this through a child’s eyes, a child who becomes more and more aware of what their future of oppression looks like, is gut-wrenching. The self- realization of a colonized child will forever stay in my heart in its heart-breaking honesty.
Truthfully, even though this is a historical fiction, so many of these EXACT challenges still face the Indigenous populations of Canada today. The systemic racism and oppression of these communities is so deep-seated and government is resistant to create lasting change lest they upset the status quo.
As always, for Canadians especially, it is so important to read hard and uncomfortable truths such as this. The better we understand, the more likely our sympathy becomes empathy, and our empathy can become action. 🧡
4.5 rounded up.
January 22, 2022
ALL THE QUIET PLACES takes place in the 1950-60's. It is a coming of age story about young Eddie Toma, an Indigenous (Syilx) boy who lives on the Okanagan Indian Reserve in the Southern Interior of British Columbia.
Eddie was a fantastic protagonist! I was in awe as he narrated his life from child to teen. This novel explores the many affects of colonialism, residential schools, intergenerational trauma within families and the Governments treatment of Indigenous peoples from their perspective. It was good but tough reading.
Though this is set in the past I found many things still relevant to today. The poor treatment from our Government towards Indigenous peoples. Such as reservations that still do not having fresh drinking water, this is Canada everyone should have clean water and this is just one example. The aftermath of colonialism and residential schools is still affecting Indigenous peoples today.
I thought this was a strong debut and think it is necessarily reading for all non Indigenous folks.
Thank You to the publisher for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
Eddie was a fantastic protagonist! I was in awe as he narrated his life from child to teen. This novel explores the many affects of colonialism, residential schools, intergenerational trauma within families and the Governments treatment of Indigenous peoples from their perspective. It was good but tough reading.
Though this is set in the past I found many things still relevant to today. The poor treatment from our Government towards Indigenous peoples. Such as reservations that still do not having fresh drinking water, this is Canada everyone should have clean water and this is just one example. The aftermath of colonialism and residential schools is still affecting Indigenous peoples today.
I thought this was a strong debut and think it is necessarily reading for all non Indigenous folks.
Thank You to the publisher for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
September 26, 2021
A strong debut novel. Character driven, Eddie, our young protagonist, is an engaging, likeable, curious child… living a life that is always just one step beyond his control.
Featuring a strong cast of secondary characters - notably Eddie’s mother, grandmother and younger brother - the author paints a historically accurate portrait of the time - the 1950’s and 1960’s - exploring the multiple challenges of our history of colonialism, especially the impact of residential schools, and systemic racism.
The author presents a clear portrait of the many ways in which Edddie’s opportunities were circumscribed, and his options limited, no matter what choice(s) he made for himself along the way. We clearly feel - experience - the weight of history that Eddie bears upon his little shoulders. No child should be expected to bear what Eddie bears.
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the advance digital review copy.
Featuring a strong cast of secondary characters - notably Eddie’s mother, grandmother and younger brother - the author paints a historically accurate portrait of the time - the 1950’s and 1960’s - exploring the multiple challenges of our history of colonialism, especially the impact of residential schools, and systemic racism.
The author presents a clear portrait of the many ways in which Edddie’s opportunities were circumscribed, and his options limited, no matter what choice(s) he made for himself along the way. We clearly feel - experience - the weight of history that Eddie bears upon his little shoulders. No child should be expected to bear what Eddie bears.
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the advance digital review copy.
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