My experience reading this book was more of a 3 than 4 star experience, but it’s my own fault. I rated this based on what I think I’d have rated it if I read it differently. This is a lesson learned for my husband and I. We read this book together, and when we read books together, we read them slowly. 20-30 page increments, once a week. This book has so many POVs and characters to keep track of that we were regularly like, who’s that again?? each time we read. It made for a confusing, disconnected read as we got further into the book.

What I liked about this book is that most of the POVs felt unique, like there was a well rounded person there. I thought that was a great achievement given each character doesn’t get that many pages in total.

I also loved the exploration of Indigenous identity. The ways in which each person grapples with it differently. That was well suited to multiple POVs.

I think it’s interesting that the ending isn’t a surprise. It’s more this thing you see coming and dread. You’re also sad at how people’s desperation leads them to do stupid or violent things. If there’s a message here, I think part of it would be how White colonialism/supremacy has created these conditions. I don’t think I want to say it destroyed Indigenous culture or something, despite how this book ends - what I have read/viewed has taught me that’s not a good way to frame it. But definitely done great damage.