First published 2020
Kenny, Clara, Lucy, Howie, and Maisie carry the scars of Mission School into the streets of 1960s Vancouver. The five friends scatter across the city, each seeking their own path to survival. Clara discovers unexpected resilience through motherhood while raising her children. Lucy gets drawn into the radical activism of the American Indian movement, risking everything for political change. Howie battles addiction and trauma, unable to break free from the damage inflicted years earlier. Kenny and Maisie face their own struggles as they try to build new lives in an unwelcoming world. The bonds forged in childhood suffering become their lifeline as they navigate poverty, discrimination, and personal demons. Their friendship offers the only stability in lives marked by displacement and pain.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, canadian-literature
Vibes: dark, emotional, gritty, intimate, poignant, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family, parallel-narratives, trauma-recovery
Setting: Vancouver, Mission School
Period: 1960s
304 pages · Paperback · Harper Perennial
Content warnings: abuse, addiction, child-abuse, colonialism, racism