I really wanted to like this book but for some reason I just couldn't take it anymore. I gave up after reading 90% of it and coudln't continue, even though I had only 30 pages left. I think four years of university have finally taken its toll, to the point that I have the urge to vomit when I read something so extremely literary. I really hated Highway's writing; everything is so chaotic and the story jumps around and it's so fragmented and everything is just flashing by. The font of the book also bugs me tremendously. Somehow large, double-spaced Constantia ruined everything visually. Honestly I have not suffered so much because of a book before. I HATED this book. I was so bored and pained by it and it got worse when I forced myself to read on because it's for class. I was honestly TRAUMATIZED. Honestly. It gave me so much trauma and physical/mental suffering. This is probably an extremely biased judgement, however, considering I am near the end of my academic pursuits. I'm really sorry for this extremely negative review because it's not a true review. I didn't absorb much because I was so stressed about school and about finishing it on time. Maybe it really was the font and I don't know... Sigh...things are starting to explode I guess. For now though, it's a one-star...I will revisit this book again when I feel ready for it...years and years later...
Loved it!When they ask you to read things for classes you always feel a little at odds with it. I started this book not knowing what to think of it (I had liked the previous books though one not so much) but as I kept going... I loved it!There are a few things that made me cringe and want to close the book and take a deep breath, so I did. I'm not going to spoil this for anyone, so I'll just say that it was worth it even after the cringe-worthy parts. The ending was beyond perfect because it tied the story perfectly. The son went into the arms of the Fur Queen who kissed his cheek gently and took him by the hand. I cried from chapter 48 on, and it's never felt like my tears had been more deserved. Highway has a way to tie up music and modern/Indian culture that I had never seen before (though I've seen people try)that made me love the book and experience it in a way I didn't think was possible. Jeremiah's and Gabriel's stories are so complex and raw that they made me feel like I was looking through a window into the brother's lives.
The writing was excellent and the story was very well-told. However, this is not an easy read, and the transitions between "real life" and the dream-like sequences are often confusing. That being said, you begin to really care about the two brothers and their lives. The sadness in this book is almost palpable, evokes emotion, which to me is a sign of good writing. I have a strong suspicion that I would enjoy this novel more if I were to read it again. Reading some of its reviews (after the fact) helped explain a few things that would have enriched my understanding of some parts of the story.
—Michal
For anyone interested in the Cree people or the plight of aboriginal people more broadly, this is an intensely personal and deeply disturbing novel about Canada's "lost generation" who were ripped away from their homes, their cultures and their parents and sent to residential schools. The political and social issues, however, never overwhelm the novel. Instead, Highway enthralls with his heartbreaking story of two Cree brothers caught in a netherworld between two cultures. Through it all, the mystical Fur Queen hovers above their story ambiguously, shifting and sliding between different forms as only the tricksters of First Nations mythology can do.
—Trevor
Tomson Highway est une connaissance personnelle; je l'ai connu à Banyuls sur Mer où il passe ses hivers en compagnie de Raymond à écrire et améliorer chaque année un peu plus son français. Issu de la nation Cri du nord du Manitoba, il a connu les pensionnats des blancs. Dramaturge bien connu par le public canadien anglophone. Avec d'autres membres reconnus de la communauté littéraire et artistique canadienne, il a accompagné la gouverneure générale dans une tournée qui l'a mené entre autres au Japon, où il est célèbre comme auteur et musicien. Il y a créé une de ses pièces (théâtre / composition musicale) en collaboration avec une artiste de là-bas. Très engagé auprès des deux communautés dans l'effort de "réconciliation" des nations canadiennes. Champion et Ooneemeetoo est la traduction de Kiss of the fur queen, son premier roman, publié en 1998.
—Monique
