19. The Firekeeper's Daughter

Angeline Boulley. 2021.

Another YA novel on this year's list, this is a mystery/romance cross over set on the Canadian/American border where Indigenous people move between communities and over lines in many ways.  With hockey, school dances, science classes, and family relationships as the backdrop, a lot of the story is about drug addiction, law enforcement, and indigenous autonomy.  On the one hand, the YA-ness of the book could be distracting, as the author seemed to take up space explaining obvious things.  Not just things like tribal jurisdiction and the use of traditional medicines, but also odd things like what a hat trick is, either.  At times it dealt with high level, complex issues of sexual assault, cooperating with law enforcement against your community, and family turning on each other without filling in a lot of the nuance.  I was fine with this because as an older reader, I felt like what was there alluded to an understanding of these issues without the need for more finessing.  It just felt odd when the author did and didn't spell things out in obvious ways. A more consistent voice would have left me feeling like the narrator was more credibly a storyteller. Lots to love here, though and I particularly like seeing more YA novels addressing the issues that we know young adults have always faced.
Recommend.

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