A review by theesotericcamel
Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway

5.0

Perhaps I'm biased by the fact that the author was a professor of mine back in university. He was a very interesting guy who lived (and still lives) a singular life. And this literary shows in this book, which is actually a thinly disguised autobiography of sorts. He's a concert pianist, as well as a playwright and entertainer. Mr. Highway lived through a very tumultuous time in regards to living conditions of the First Nations people. When a child, he and his brother were sent to a residential school where indigenous children were taught to be "civilized"... just as the character in his book was. He also lived through the AIDS epidemic of the 80's... Which is also treated in the book. And through the book we are able to catch a glimpse of what it is like to get evicted from the very land of your ancestors. The book is not all doom and gloom however, it is suffused with a genuine zest for life as well as a liberal dab of magic realism. Thomson Highway's version of reality is very much infused with the old gods and spirits of his ancestries. And just because some of their homes have been paved over does not mean that they have left. A book that made me laugh and cry. But overall, revealed that magic is still around us if we have the eyes to look for it.