Grace

“Ghosts are what white people put in storybooks and picture shows. They do it to scare people about the dead. The church does the same. It’s about making people afraid. I’m sure they know nothing about the good of a person’s spirit and how it comes forward after death.”
― Tony Birch, The White Girl

“What I need from you,’ the woman added, ‘is your tribal name.’ Odette was puzzled. ‘My tribal name?’ ‘Yes. The tribe of your ancestors, where your people originated from. Whenever I sell native artwork I provide written provenance with the greeting cards, naming the tribe that the artist originates from. It adds to the value of the work, you see?’ She looked at the frowning Odette, sympathetically. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. Perhaps you have lost all contact with …’ The woman blushed with embarrassment.”
― Tony Birch, The White Girl

“She was about to touch one of the large wooden wheels of the coach when a more sinister image flashed before her – a coach full of children being driven away from the mission, crying for their mothers. Odette turned her back on the carriage.”
― Tony Birch, The White Girl

“I’m coming,’ Henry called. He soon appeared from behind the Dodge, walking a bicycle. The frame was painted red and the wheels, which didn’t quite match in size, had been scrubbed and oiled. The handlebar grips, made out of strips of leather from an old car seat, had been crafted by Henry himself. The basket on the handlebars barely resembled the wicker cray pot it had originally been; an item that had somehow travelled far from the sea to the junkyard. Henry brought the bicycle to a halt in front of Sissy.”
― Tony Birch, The White Girl