BIRDIE

by Tracey Lindberg
 
This debut novel by a young Cree woman was the first I’ve read by a First Nations author. It has been widely praised and publicized in Canada, and has been on my reading list for quite some time.  I think, if you are open to her writing style, and a more metaphorical subject matter, this book might just break your heart and give you hope.
 
The story is told by and about the life of Birdie, a young Cree woman, raised near a reservation in Alberta, and currently living in a small beach town in British Columbia.  Having moved to Gibsons to escape a difficult childhood and adolescence, she is working in a bakery, and continuing a destructive pattern with men and her own body.  But one day, she lies down on her bed and doesn’t get up.  Her boss reaches out to some of the women in her family, but no one can get a response of any kind from Birdie.  We come to learn that she is traveling through her past in dreams and memories so real she feels she is leaving her body behind.
 
It is difficult to do justice to the content of this book, as the storytelling itself is the more important element.  Lindberg builds suspense, while never exploiting her protagonist. There is humor and sweetness, mystery and revelation.  All of the main characters are women, and their community is at the center of everything.
 
I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels like they are stuck in a rut of genre or subject matter.  It is unlike anything I have read, and if you stay open, will certainly touch your heart.  (Lily)