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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
A hidden gem! I can't believe I've never heard of it until lately!
I find rating this book a bit difficult to do. In one hand I enjoyed it but in the other I didn't feel like it was going to be this unforgettable read I thought it would be, reading the blurb. But it was an good audiobook to listen to.
I really don’t know how to feel about this book. In one sense it feels like “not all priests were bad” bullshit. In reality, the system that put priests in First Nation communities was actually ALL bad, so that makes the priests bad no matter how “good” they actually were. They were there to uphold the system that removed children from their families, destroyed cultures that have been around for thousands of years, and so many other horrors and for what? To “bring them to Christ?”
A lot of the other reviews of this book have a sense of nostalgia and I can appreciate that although I hope they reread it as an adult AFTER the last few years exposed the child graves at residential schools. This book is suggesting that children who leave for residential can find a place in the world and in their tribe, like the priest has done, but that’s such bullshit. The children are being forced to go “to the world” to attend school where they are taught to “kill the Indian.” Of course they feel weird when they go home- they’ve been programmed at a very young impressionable age that those things are bad and to be left behind for the sake of the white man’s world.
On the other hand, the book is written beautifully and an insight into cultural practices is always enjoyable. I did like how the priest (I know he has a different name in the book but I can’t remember it so priest is going to stand in) learned the practices and respected the ones he wasn’t invited to participate in. He seemed to respect their culture at the end, and seemed to believe his and theirs could exist in the same place. Which is nice and makes you think that this is how it always went without realizing they’re stripping children from their elders, parents, and cultural traditions.
I think by the end the priest doesn’t believe in the christian god. Towards the end he seems to be converting to the way of the salmon people and I think the way he dies proves that. Taking the novel as what it is - an ignorant white man gets dropped in the middle of the words and is forced to learn indigenous ways of survival and because of his experiences is ultimately changed- it’s a good book. I’m not sure if reading this without any historical context is a good idea- it has big “white man’s burden” vibes, but there is beauty in the syntax.
A lot of the other reviews of this book have a sense of nostalgia and I can appreciate that although I hope they reread it as an adult AFTER the last few years exposed the child graves at residential schools. This book is suggesting that children who leave for residential can find a place in the world and in their tribe, like the priest has done, but that’s such bullshit. The children are being forced to go “to the world” to attend school where they are taught to “kill the Indian.” Of course they feel weird when they go home- they’ve been programmed at a very young impressionable age that those things are bad and to be left behind for the sake of the white man’s world.
On the other hand, the book is written beautifully and an insight into cultural practices is always enjoyable. I did like how the priest (I know he has a different name in the book but I can’t remember it so priest is going to stand in) learned the practices and respected the ones he wasn’t invited to participate in. He seemed to respect their culture at the end, and seemed to believe his and theirs could exist in the same place. Which is nice and makes you think that this is how it always went without realizing they’re stripping children from their elders, parents, and cultural traditions.
I think by the end the priest doesn’t believe in the christian god. Towards the end he seems to be converting to the way of the salmon people and I think the way he dies proves that. Taking the novel as what it is - an ignorant white man gets dropped in the middle of the words and is forced to learn indigenous ways of survival and because of his experiences is ultimately changed- it’s a good book. I’m not sure if reading this without any historical context is a good idea- it has big “white man’s burden” vibes, but there is beauty in the syntax.
slow-paced
Mark Brian is the new vicar of an isolated Indian Village in British Columbia. As the story unfolds, the natives learn to trust him, as he is eager not just to serve their church, but to learn about them. He teaches himself their language, listens carefully to their stories and respects their customs. He becomes a part of the community. When the “owl calls his name” the vicar is truly mourned by the natives. Told at a time when the world is encroaching on the lives - for example, making laws they must obey, encouraging their children to leave to go to white schools to have better lives - the story of their quiet dignity and their generous spirit is eloquently told.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An engaging insight into the mentality of a 20th century Native American village and the selfless men who take it upon themselves to help it survive.
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars rounded up.
A simple and quiet meditation on what it means to make a good life, find community, and how to face the inevitable journey we all must take, with grace: death.
A simple and quiet meditation on what it means to make a good life, find community, and how to face the inevitable journey we all must take, with grace: death.