Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
This novel follows the story of five children who attended a residential school in British Columbia, and the long-lasting impact this has on their lives. The author, Michelle Good, is a writer, lawyer, and member of Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. During her legal career, she has advocated on behalf of many residential school survivors. Even though the characters themselves are fictional, the author’s mother and grandmother attended a residential school, and the stories they shared influenced the writing of this book.
Similar to Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, this book helped make real to me the devastating impact that the residential school experience has had on so many Indigenous people. Two generations had their childhoods ripped away from them in the most brutal and cruel way. This book is also a story of resilience and hope, and of incredible bravery in the face of so much trauma. Although I finished it nearly two months ago, I’ve been struggling to write this post as it seems impossible to sum up in just a few words the powerful emotional impact of this story. There are two passages in particular that will sit with me for a long time.
- 60; Maisie is remembering how much she missed her mother, and dreamt of being home and safe with her.
“What I so desperately needed was to be standing on that stool by the stove, carefully stirring under her watchful eye like when I was little. To be little again, living without fear and brutality- no one gets that back. All that’s left is a craving, insatiable empty place”
p.139 Clara, remembering the first time she connected with her friend and Indigenous activist, George
“She remembered George telling her once that Indians were like weeds to the white people. Something to be wiped out so their idea of a garden could grow […]Then she thought of that day George pulled the weeds out of her heart, leaving only wild purple flowers.”
Catharine Winstanley, December 12th 2022