Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was such a cathartic and immersive read. I love how much of it was focused on directing, redirecting, and letting go of hurt and anger. The shifting narratives between June and Lyn. Them feeling, processing. Renee at the periphery but never truly the center. Because how could she be?
The strength of family and being home. Truly, truly home. The simplicity of denying someone else’s entitlement to your legacy, history, identity, and self. It’s all about power. Always power. So much of it taken back in this book. So much of it on display and full of hurt. I loved how both June and Lyn are creators. June with her academic work, Lyn with her pottery. Both so tangible, present, felt, molded, hands dug in deep in the words/clay they shape. So much autonomy in that. Your words. Your art. Blossoming from your own mind and body.
My partner is a poet and an academic. I thought of her throughout this book. How lucky I am to witness her work and her emotions.
The strength of family and being home. Truly, truly home. The simplicity of denying someone else’s entitlement to your legacy, history, identity, and self. It’s all about power. Always power. So much of it taken back in this book. So much of it on display and full of hurt. I loved how both June and Lyn are creators. June with her academic work, Lyn with her pottery. Both so tangible, present, felt, molded, hands dug in deep in the words/clay they shape. So much autonomy in that. Your words. Your art. Blossoming from your own mind and body.
My partner is a poet and an academic. I thought of her throughout this book. How lucky I am to witness her work and her emotions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Title: real ones
Author: Katherena Vermette
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: September 3, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC from Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Conversational • Timely • Illuminating
📖 S Y N O P S I S
June and her sister, lyn, are NDNs—real ones.
Lyn has her pottery artwork, her precocious kid, Willow, and the uncertain terrain of her midlife to keep her mind, heart and hands busy. June, a Métis Studies professor, yearns to uproot from Vancouver and move. With her loving partner, Sigh, and their faithful pup, June decides to buy a house in the last place on earth she imagined she’d end up: back home in Winnipeg with her family.
But then into lyn and June’s busy lives a bomb drops: their estranged and very white mother, Renee, is called out as a “pretendian.” Under the name (get this) Raven Bearclaw, Renee had topped the charts in the Canadian art world for winning awards and recognition for her Indigenous-style work.
The news is quickly picked up by the media and sparks an enraged online backlash. As the sisters are pulled into the painful tangle of lies their mother has told and the hurt she has caused, searing memories from their unresolved childhood trauma, which still manages to spill into their well curated adult worlds, come rippling to the surface.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I have been intending to read Katherena Vermette's work for quite some time, so when I was offered an eARC for her latest book, real ones, I knew it was the right place to start. I didn't really know what to expect from this one, aside from it having Indigenous roots. I do know I was attracted to the subtle artwork of the cover.
Told from the POVs of two sisters, this is a story of complicated family dynamics and identity, focusing specifically on 'pretendians' a trend of non-Indigenous people passing themselves off as Indigenous. The character creation and depth is fantastic as we navigate the lives of these two women.
Through conversational writing, Vermette has an ability to make fiction feel so real. At several points, I had to remind myself this novel is a fictional account, everything feeling so relevant and plausible. Her writing draws the reader in from the very first page and carries us through right until the final word.
real ones unpacks years of generational and abandonment trauma, however, it ultimately as a hopeful tone. Vermette takes a complex and complicated topic and delivers an engrossing story through simple and accessible writing. I am certainly looking forward to exploring more of Katherena's backlist now.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• stories about sisters
• exploring cultural identity
• Canadian authors
⚠️ CW: cultural appropriation, colonization, racism, racial slurs, hate crime, abandonment, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, mental illness, depression, PTSD, gaslighting, death, death of parent, grief, drug use, drug abuse, addiction, toxic relationship, infidelity, alcohol, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Something so small sometimes feels so big."
Author: Katherena Vermette
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: September 3, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC from Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Conversational • Timely • Illuminating
📖 S Y N O P S I S
June and her sister, lyn, are NDNs—real ones.
Lyn has her pottery artwork, her precocious kid, Willow, and the uncertain terrain of her midlife to keep her mind, heart and hands busy. June, a Métis Studies professor, yearns to uproot from Vancouver and move. With her loving partner, Sigh, and their faithful pup, June decides to buy a house in the last place on earth she imagined she’d end up: back home in Winnipeg with her family.
But then into lyn and June’s busy lives a bomb drops: their estranged and very white mother, Renee, is called out as a “pretendian.” Under the name (get this) Raven Bearclaw, Renee had topped the charts in the Canadian art world for winning awards and recognition for her Indigenous-style work.
The news is quickly picked up by the media and sparks an enraged online backlash. As the sisters are pulled into the painful tangle of lies their mother has told and the hurt she has caused, searing memories from their unresolved childhood trauma, which still manages to spill into their well curated adult worlds, come rippling to the surface.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I have been intending to read Katherena Vermette's work for quite some time, so when I was offered an eARC for her latest book, real ones, I knew it was the right place to start. I didn't really know what to expect from this one, aside from it having Indigenous roots. I do know I was attracted to the subtle artwork of the cover.
Told from the POVs of two sisters, this is a story of complicated family dynamics and identity, focusing specifically on 'pretendians' a trend of non-Indigenous people passing themselves off as Indigenous. The character creation and depth is fantastic as we navigate the lives of these two women.
Through conversational writing, Vermette has an ability to make fiction feel so real. At several points, I had to remind myself this novel is a fictional account, everything feeling so relevant and plausible. Her writing draws the reader in from the very first page and carries us through right until the final word.
real ones unpacks years of generational and abandonment trauma, however, it ultimately as a hopeful tone. Vermette takes a complex and complicated topic and delivers an engrossing story through simple and accessible writing. I am certainly looking forward to exploring more of Katherena's backlist now.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• stories about sisters
• exploring cultural identity
• Canadian authors
⚠️ CW: cultural appropriation, colonization, racism, racial slurs, hate crime, abandonment, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, mental illness, depression, PTSD, gaslighting, death, death of parent, grief, drug use, drug abuse, addiction, toxic relationship, infidelity, alcohol, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Something so small sometimes feels so big."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Grief, Colonisation
Minor: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Alcohol
depression, PTSD
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation