Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley: Book Review

Angeline Boulley’s debut novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter, is a powerful read. Released in March 2021 by Henry, Holt, and Co (HYR), this New York Times Bestseller examines Native American life.

There are some content warnings/trigger warnings for this book. These include drug use and abuse, racism, sexual assault, physical violence, and murder.

Synopsis

Daunis Fontaine is a biracial, unenrolled member of the Ojibwe tribe in Sault St. Marie. She has never quite fit in, either on the reservation or in her hometown. She is set to attend university when tragedy strikes her family, and she decides to stay closer to home.

Daunis finds herself falling for the new guy on the hockey team her brother is the captain of. She suspects there’s more to him than he lets on. Daunis learns the truth after witnessing a murder.

She finds herself being pulled into a criminal investigation that is bigger than she realizes. If she follows through with the investigation, will it help her hometown or the reservation? What will her actions cost her?

Positives

You can tell that this story was written from the heart. Boulley is an enrolled member of the Chippewa Tribe in Sault Ste Marie. That said, she took a decade to write this book. She knew what she wanted to say and how best to say it.

While there is a lot of violence in the book against Native American women, this should serve as an eye-opening fact for readers. Boulley included stats at the end of the book about the percentage of women who have been victims. I believe the stats are about the Native and Indigenous people in the United States, but I am sure that the numbers are similar in other parts of the world.

Negatives

I found the first 50 pages or so to be slow. After that point, though, it was a full-out page-turner.

Another issue I had with the book, mostly on me, was the use of Anishinaabemowin in the book. For those who don’t know, that is the language that Daunis and her tribe speak. There are a few parts where there is quite a bit of it used. That said, my issue isn’t because the language was used or how much it was used, but the fact that it slowed me down while reading it. If there had been a pronunciation guide included, it would have been helpful.

My Opinions

Firekeeper’s Daughter is one of the best books I have read this year. It has so much going for it. There is drama, intrigue, and even a sprinkle of romance. The book started as a passion project for Boulley, and it shows. She took her time to tell the story, and it’s one that she knows. I hope that she has more passion projects to share with us.

Many people will not read this book because it has been listed as a Young Adult book. While this isn’t wrong, as it does follow the traditional definition of a YA novel, it doesn’t read like a YA novel. Yes, the main character is a teenager, and friendship is a key component of the story. And the biggest component of the novel is Daunis and her search for her identity. The way the story is told, though, is more mature.

I think the target audience for this book is 15 and up. I think someone younger could read this, but with an adult reading with them.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.