A review by sandiet
Indians on Vacation by Thomas King

4.0

This book was all over the place, kind of like Bird's mind and not in a bad way at all. Indians on Vacation tells the story of Mimi and Bird trekking around Europe following the route Mimi's Uncle Leroy travelled to find a missing medicine bundle. Mimi & Bird are polar opposites, Mimi is upbeat, always hopeful, full of life and always hungry; Bird would rather not leave the hotel room, battles depression and anxiety and would rather just go home to Guelph instead of being in Prague. Alternating between sad and funny the novel touches on ageism, mental illness, racism and immigration issues without being heavy handed. I enjoyed the audiobook and the narrator captured Bird's melancholy perfectly. What I especially liked was the naming of his mental stressors, while the stresses were in his head they felt real because they ARE real. I also wondered if Oz was a real person (he and Mimi never were in the same room) was Oz just another perspective on Bird's mindset? I enjoyed this one.