12. A Short History of Indians in Canada
Product Description (from publisher)
Acclaimed author Thomas King is in fabulous, fantastical form in this bestselling short story collection. From the surreal migrations of the title story to the misadventures of Coyote in the modern world and the chaos of a baby’s unexpected arrival by airmail, King’s tales are deft, hilarious and provocative. A National Post and Quill & Quire bestseller, and an Amazon.ca Top Pick for 2005, A Short History of Indians in Canada is a comic tour de force.
My Impressions
I loved the variation of themes in the stories. I agree with the description from the inside cover: "As King pokes a sharp stick into the gears of the native myth-making machine, he slyly exposes the raw underbelly of both historical and contemporary native-white relationships." For example, with stories about religion ("Bad Men Who Love Jesus") or how we're treating our elders ("The Closer You Get to Canada, the More Things Will Eat Your Horses"). The stories are definitely funny and surreal but in a way that makes me feel like I'm in on the joke, even if I don't really fully understand. As weird as this sounds, I liked how uncomfortable that made me feel and it makes me want to find out more. King also tries out different writing styles and formats, which I found fun to read. I especially liked the stories that featured younger children and how some of their views are unformed while other opinions are already shaped (see "Where the Borg Are" in particular; also bonus Star Trek for people excited by the recent buzz). All in all, I quite enjoyed this collection. I picked up Green Grass, Running Water on the same library trip, which I'm definitely looking forward to reading.
Acclaimed author Thomas King is in fabulous, fantastical form in this bestselling short story collection. From the surreal migrations of the title story to the misadventures of Coyote in the modern world and the chaos of a baby’s unexpected arrival by airmail, King’s tales are deft, hilarious and provocative. A National Post and Quill & Quire bestseller, and an Amazon.ca Top Pick for 2005, A Short History of Indians in Canada is a comic tour de force.
My Impressions
I loved the variation of themes in the stories. I agree with the description from the inside cover: "As King pokes a sharp stick into the gears of the native myth-making machine, he slyly exposes the raw underbelly of both historical and contemporary native-white relationships." For example, with stories about religion ("Bad Men Who Love Jesus") or how we're treating our elders ("The Closer You Get to Canada, the More Things Will Eat Your Horses"). The stories are definitely funny and surreal but in a way that makes me feel like I'm in on the joke, even if I don't really fully understand. As weird as this sounds, I liked how uncomfortable that made me feel and it makes me want to find out more. King also tries out different writing styles and formats, which I found fun to read. I especially liked the stories that featured younger children and how some of their views are unformed while other opinions are already shaped (see "Where the Borg Are" in particular; also bonus Star Trek for people excited by the recent buzz). All in all, I quite enjoyed this collection. I picked up Green Grass, Running Water on the same library trip, which I'm definitely looking forward to reading.