Award-winning novels by Indigenous authorsLike this list

22 items

• Son of a Trickster

  Robinson, Eden,

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  The first book in the brilliant Trickster trilogy, Robinson's (Haisla and Heiltsuk) compelling mix of magic and myth blends with humour, heartbreak, and hope in this tale of a Haisla teenage boy who can mysteriously speak with ravens. Son of a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Indian Horse

  a Novel

  Wagamese, Richard

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  As a finalist for CBC’s Canada Reads in 2013, Wagamese's (Anishnaabe) Indian Horse sparked a national conversation about the subjugation of Indigenous children by the church and state, and most importantly, about their unwavering ability to survive.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Indian Horse

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  This adaptation of Wagamese's novel was honoured with wins at the 2017 Vancouver and 2018 San Diego International Film Festivals. It's also streaming on the Library's digital resource, Kanopy.

• Moon of the Crusted Snow

  a Novel

  Rice, Waubgeshig, 1979-

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  In this thrilling page-turner of a post-apocalyptic novel, Rice (Anishnaabe) tells the story of small northern Anishinaabe community that goes dark. Cut off, panic builds as the food supply dwindles and the death toll rises. Guided through the chaos…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Split Tooth

  Tagaq, Tanya 1975-

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  This coming-of-age story set in 1970s Nunavut combines myth and reality, poetry and prose. It introduces a world -- and a heroine -- that readers will not forget. It's a beautiful, unconventional, and genre-defying story from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Break

  Vermette, Katherena, 1977-

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  Amidst their own pain and trauma, four generations of Métis women deal with the impact of a violent sexual assault against a young girl in Winnipeg's North End. This debut novel by Vermette (Métis) is a heartbreaking masterpiece. The Break won the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kiss of the Fur Queen

  Highway, Tomson, 1951-

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  A Cree playwright and pianist, Highway’s humorous debut novel follows the lives of two young Cree brothers fighting to survive their years of abuse at a residential school. Wherever they go, they are watched over by a protective shapeshifting…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Birdie

  a Novel

  Lindberg, Tracey,

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  Lindberg’s debut novel introduces Beatrice “Birdie” Meetos, a Cree woman from northern Alberta overcoming the traumatic history of her colonialized past with a darkly comic, heartbreaking and hopeful journey through Alberta and BC - and through time…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Five Little Indians

  a Novel

  Good, Michelle,

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  Nominated for the 2020 Giller Prize, this brilliant novel follows the lives of five children taken from their homes in northern coastal B.C. in the 1960s and placed in an abusive, terrifying residential school. The story continues after their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Crow Winter

  a Novel

  McBride, Karen,

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  In this modern and compelling Trickster tale, a young woman named Hazel still grieving her father’s death returns to the Spirit Bear First Nation to live with her mom. She gets a job sorting records at the band office – and a visit from a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Empire of Wild

  a Novel

  Dimaline, Cherie, 1975-

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  This novel is taut with dark, unnerving tension. Cherie Dimaline (Georgian Bay Métis Nation) blends the supernatural seamlessly with a family drama that follows Joan and her search for her missing husband, Victor. When a new preacher, Reverend…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Green Grass, Running Water. --

  King, Thomas, 1943-

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  A finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction and named one of the best Canadian novels of the century by Quill & Quire, King’s rollicking trickster story is impossible to classify. Part creation myth, part satire, King (Cherokee and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Jonny Appleseed

  a Novel

  Whitehead, Joshua,

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  Self-ordained NDN glitter princess Jonny Appleseed leaves the reserve and makes a life for himself in the city as a cybersex worker in this brilliant, gritty, and unforgettable work by Whitehead, an Oji-Cree/nehiyaw Two-spirit/Indigiqueer author…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Motorcycles & Sweetgrass

  a Novel

  Taylor, Drew Hayden, 1962-

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  Shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction, this magical, hilarious, and insightful trickster tale mixes marauding racoons with complex truths about Canadian society. A playwright and film maker, Hayden is from the Curve Lake First…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Celia's Song

  a Novel

  Maracle, Lee,

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  Lee Maracle, of the Stó:lō Nation, is a highly respected author and critic and was awarded the Order of Canada in 2018. Celia's Song follows the healing journey of a family deeply impacted by intergenerational trauma caused by colonialism. There is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sanaaq

  An Inuit Novel

  Nappaaluk, Mitiarjuk,

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  One of the first novels written in Inuttitut syllabics, Sanaaq is the raw and intimate story of an Inuit family negotiating the changes forced on their community by the qallunaatt (white people) in the mid-nineteenth century. From Nunavik, Nappaaluk…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• In the Shadow of Evil

  Mosionier, Beatrice, 1949-

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  A murder mystery set in the Rockies, In the Shadow of Evil will you keep you riveted with its suspenseful narrative. Beatrice Mosionier (Métis) vividly captures the character of Christine, a Métis woman who struggles to cope after losing her husband…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Lesser Blessed

  [a Novel]

  Van Camp, Richard, 1971-

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  This darkly humorous novel was Richard Van Camp's (Dogrib (Tlicho) Dene) debut novel. It follows the life of Larry, a Dogrib teen, as he wrestles with his traumatic past and his hopes for the future. Full of rich, provocative writing, this book won…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Lesser Blessed

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  Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, this film adaptation of Van Camp's novel was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. It's also streaming on the Library's digital resource, Kanopy.

• The Only Good Indians

  a Novel

  Jones, Stephen Graham, 1972-

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  Four Blackfeet men must face the consequences after engaging in a dishonourable elk hunt in this terrifying work of horror by acclaimed writer, Stephen Graham Jones (Blackfeet). This book not only delivers pure terror but also a powerful social…Read moreRead more of this annotation