The Narrows of Fear (Wapawikoscikanik)

The Narrows of Fear (Wapawikoscikanik) navigates the unsettling, but necessary. When love of, and respect for, culture goes awry, it is our Indigenous women who bring us back to what is important. This novel is an interweaving of stories centred on a range of characters, both male and female, though the women, for the most part, are the healers. Though several were abused both in their own community and in residential schools, these women are smart and loving and committed to helping one another. They eagerly learn to celebrate their culture, its stories, its dancing, its drums, and its elders. Principal of these elders is Nina, the advisor at the women's shelter. With the help of Sandy and Charlene, both of whom are educated and courageous, overcoming losses of their own, Nina uses Indigenous practices to heal the traumatized Mary Ann. This is a very powerful novel—sometimes brutally violent, sometimes healing, sometimes mythical, and always deeply respectful of the Aboriginal culture at its heart.